Global Courant
A new report shows that China has surpassed the US, Britain and Australia in advanced sensor technologies, raising questions about the future balance of power in crucial command, control, communications, computers, intelligence , surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities (C4ISR).
With reference to the Critical Technology Tracker from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).Break defense reported this month that China is “overwhelmingly” ahead in areas such as inertial navigation systems, radar and various types of sensors. At the same time, the source says the US maintains an edge in quantum sensors, atomic clocks and gravity sensors.
Breaking Defense says China’s lead in sensors has not yet translated into global market share, but this is likely to change as the technology continues to develop.
The report notes that North America currently holds approximately 41% of the $200 billion remote sensor market. However, China has a high share of articles in the top 10% of highly cited publications, especially in the areas of inertial navigation systems (44%), photonic sensors (43.7%), multispectral and hyperspectral imaging sensors (48.9%), and sonar sensors ( 49.4%).
Even when combining Australia, Britain and the US as their joint AUKUS, the three Western countries still lag significantly behind China in six of the seven key sensor technologies, with only magnetic field sensors providing close competition, it said Breaking Defense Report.
Advanced sensor technologies are crucial for modern C4ISR systems, which in turn are crucial for many military operations. Sensor-driven networks collect and analyze data from various sources around the world, providing valuable insights for successful missions.
In a 2020 study from the China Aerospace InstitutePeter Wood and Roger Cliff highlight China’s C4ISR advances in aircraft, drones, aerostats and satellites.
The positioning accuracy of China’s reconnaissance satellites will improve as more new-generation satellites enter orbit. Photo: Weibo via qianlong.com
Wood and Cliff note that while China has invested heavily in space-based ISR, aerial surveillance and reconnaissance offer capabilities that satellites cannot, such as superior localization capabilities for electronic intelligence missions (ELINT) and higher resolution compared to satellite-based ISR .
Defense resource Janes reported in March 2023 that the People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLA-NAF) is expanding its fleet of ISR airframes, including Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation’s KJ-200 and Y-8J maritime surveillance platforms, from its Laiyang Air Base in Northeast China.
Janes noted that the expansion, which began in early 2022, will enable the PLA-NAF to increase the frequency of maritime patrol missions from Laiyang Air Base, enhancing China’s ability to detect aircraft and ships operating in the Yellow Sea and the East -China Sea operations, monitoring.
Wood and Cliff write that China is undergoing a process of “unmanification” with the adoption of multiple types of drones at every level, from strategic unmanned aerial vehicles like the Soar Dragon to hand-launched UAVs operated by grassroots militia units.
Asia Times reported this month that the PLA Ground Force (PLA-GF) has developed a new combat drone, the KVD002, that can provide battlefield information, fire support and escort attack helicopters. It is based on China’s best-selling unmanned combat aircraft, the CH-4, and can carry two air-to-surface missiles and reconnaissance equipment.
China’s unveiling of the KVD002 signals growing confidence in its drone operations over the Taiwan Strait, with the PLA integrating unmanned systems into its force structure and actively developing them for all domains of warfare. This approach could be part of a strategy to test Taiwan’s defenses and deplete its air force.
Additionally, Wood and Cliff note China’s progress in aerostats, noting a resurgence of interest in lighter-than-air aircraft for near-space observation and exploration.
They note that Chinese researchers see great potential for tethered aerostats, which can remain aloft at high altitudes, carry radar and optical sensors for surveillance, serve as communications nodes and conduct electronic warfare.
China is known to operate aerostats in the South China Sea and foreign airspace. In December 2022, Asia Times reported that China may have deployed a high-altitude long-range airship near Luzon in northern Philippines.
The airship resembles two unmanned, solar-powered Chinese high-altitude balloons, the Tian Heng and Yuan Meng, intended for stratospheric operations at 7,000 to 20,000 meters.
China has been building an aerostat network over hotspots such as the Himalayas, the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait since 2017, with its aerostats equipped with large phased-array radars that can monitor air and surface targets within a 300 kilometer radius.
Wood and Cliff note that as of March 2020, China has 363 operational satellites, more than any other country except the US, many of which serve a military C4ISR role. They say the China National Space Administration (CNSA) manages these satellites, while the PLA Strategic Support Force (PLA-SSF) maintains ties with Chinese commercial satellite imagery providers.
China may already have eclipsed the US and its allies in space espionage. In August 2023, The Warzone reported that Australian defense contractor EOS Space Systems had monitored hundreds of Chinese surveillance satellites that made thousands of passes over Australia and surrounding areas, including to gather intelligence on the Malabar and Talisman Saber military exercises.
The Warzone notes that China’s ISR satellite fleet contained more than 260 systems at the end of 2021, second only to the US, with the PLA owning and operating half of the world’s space-based ISR systems.
It notes that China’s growing satellite ISR capability has significantly increased the PLA’s surveillance capabilities, allowing for greater intelligence collection and surveillance of potential hotspots in the Pacific, which has contributed to enemy forces being targeted during major conflicts and complements the PLA’s existing anti-access and area denial policies. (A2/AD) capabilities.
In addition to airborne and space-based ISR sensors, land and underwater sensors play a crucial role in China’s overall ISR capabilities.
China’s manned submarine is recovered after its dive into the Mariana Trench on June 1, 2017, following its 20th dive into the world’s deepest known trench since 2012. Image: Xinhua
Asia Times reported in May 2023 on a controversial Chinese simulation of a hypersonic missile attack on the supercarrier USS Gerald Ford, sinking the warship and its escorts. Sea-based ISR could have been critical in the simulation, with the PLA using high-frequency direction finding (HF/DF), land, coastal and marine radar.
It is also possible that China’s ‘Blue Ocean Information Network’, a series of radars built on unmanned semi-submersible platforms of 250 to 300 square meters in the South China Sea, played a role in identifying and targeting the USS Gerald Ford and his supervisors.
In addition, China’s advances in submarine detection technology, such as terahertz sensors and extremely low frequency (ELF) detection, could pose a threat to US nuclear attack submarines (SSN) that can target Chinese ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) in the South China Sea, increasing the risk of nuclear weapons. retaliation, while US SSBNs are at risk of attack.
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