detect a plane at 5,000 meters high

China has been around for a while developing all types of sensors and radars whose characteristics suggest a future very different from the current one. Without going too far, last September They tested a device called LARIDa super radar that was able to detect a gigantic bubble of invisible plasma in the Pyramid of Giza. The latter is something very different, and can change the battlefield.

Unprecedented underwater radar. In a secret location 1,000 meters deep, Chinese scientists have developed and tested what points to an unprecedented underwater sensor capable of detecting aircraft at high altitude from the depths of the ocean, representing an unparalleled strategic advance for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) submarine fleet. To give us an idea, technology managed to identify a fixed-wing aircraft at 5,000 meters above sea levela milestone that no other nation has achieved to date.

Such technology, which until now was considered impractical due to the complex acoustic properties of water, could dramatically improve the survivability of submarines against warplanes. antisubmarineequipped with advanced sensors to locate and destroy them.

Implications and capabilities. Underwater radar represents a significant strategic advantage for the nation. The reason? Turn the current combat around, allowing your submarines to go from targets to hunters in anti-submarine warfare.

Currently, aircraft equipped with advanced sensors can detect and attack submarines without being spotted, but with this new technology Chinese submarines could, a priori, receive early warnings of hostile aircraft and launch missiles from underwater with precision.

And there is more, of course. The main technological challenge lies in the fact that most of the sound waves generated by aircraft are reflected from the sea surface, making their detection difficult.

However, researchers at the Institute of Acoustics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led by Zhang Bo and Peng Zhaohuiemphasize that they have achieved an innovative solution by taking advantage of the multiple reflection of sound waves between the seabed and the water surface, allowing Extend detection range and improve radar sensitivity.

System testing and limitations. Apparently, In 2022, China carried out secret tests of underwater radarmanaging to detect a plane 17 kilometers away and, attention, with a margin of error of less than one kilometer. Still, limitations were identified, such as a blind spot when aircraft fly directly over the sensors, as well as a detection range that still needs to be expanded for effective military applications.

In this regard, Zhang and Peng continue working on system optimizationalthough they have not revealed recent data.

Complement to the military intelligence network. China’s military strategy is based on a multi-layered approach that integrates various detection technologies. Currently, the People’s Liberation Army has a satellite network capable of tracking high-performance aircraft like the F-22 stealth fightersin addition to radar systems on ships and land stations. The new underwater radar would act as a complement, providing redundancy and improving detection capability in hostile environments.

Future perspectives. Although the details of this development were kept secret for years due to its military sensitivity, the research team has recently published an article in the journal Acta Acusticaa job where information about the functionality of the system is provided. That said, and as is often the case with innovations of this type, everything indicates that there remains a long road of testing and improvements in operational scope to guarantee its effective integration in real combat scenarios.

What does seem abundantly clear is that the innovative underwater detection system marks a paradigm shift in naval warfare, one where, in the absence of verifying it on the ground, It would give China a huge tactical advantagehighlighting its leadership in the development of cutting-edge underwater surveillance technologies.

Image | Marinha

In Xataka | China has tested its new super radar. They have detected a gigantic bubble of invisible plasma in the Pyramid of Giza

In Xataka | China gains muscle in aerial technology: it already has new radars against drones, missiles and stealth aircraft