[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Chinese scientists are reportedly utilizing 6th generation mobile communication (6G) technology in the development of hypersonic weapons, leading to expectations that the accuracy and offensive capabilities of China's hypersonic weapons will improve. The competition with the United States in hypersonic weapon development is expected to intensify further.
According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 28th, researchers at Tianjin University in China published a paper on the 26th detailing the use of 6G technology to enhance communication and target detection capabilities of hypersonic weapons, as well as addressing some of the static electricity issues occurring during the flight of hypersonic missiles. SCMP reported that the paper was published in the Journal of the China Academy of Defense Technology.
According to the research team, hypersonic weapons fly at speeds exceeding Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound), causing high-temperature ionized gas to form on their surfaces, which blocks electromagnetic waves and results in static electricity or difficulties in maintaining communication with external sources. The researchers discovered that terahertz waves used in 6G technology can travel smoothly without being blocked by the gas even in hypersonic weapons flying at speeds above Mach 10.
As a result, the development of China's 6G commercialization technology is expected to accelerate. 6G is a next-generation wireless communication technology with transmission speeds 10 to 20 times faster than the currently commercialized 5G. Last year, China launched the world's first 6G satellite and conducted data transmission experiments.
SCMP reported that the Chinese government is currently constructing a large-scale 6G network base station in the Tibet region. With China's 6G technology linked to hypersonic weapon development, the arms race with the United States is expected to become even more intense.
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