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China is building the most powerful warship radar on record: scientists

  • Peer-reviewed paper says Earth’s curve can affect the line of sight but boost in capability could give PLA major advantage
  • New-generation system can suppress adversaries with output power peaking at 30 megawatts, the researchers said

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Chinese researchers said a military vessel equipped with the new radar could detect missiles from thousands of kilometres away. Photo: PLA Daily
Stephen Chenin Beijing
Chinese scientists have revealed that construction has begun of a radar system that could shift the balance of naval power in the world’s oceans with its ability to detect incoming missiles from thousands of kilometres away.
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A Chinese military vessel equipped with the radar would be able to detect a ballistic missile from up to 4,500km (2,800 miles) away – about the distance from southern China to northern Australia, according to scientists involved in the project.

The radar can also track multiple targets within 3,500km, or about the distance to Guam, the researchers said, in a peer-reviewed paper published on May 31 by the Chinese-language journal Electric Machines and Control.

The team of scientists and engineers, led by associate professor Sun Donyang from the Harbin University of Science and Technology, said the radar is suitable for installation on new Chinese warships, with the first system already in construction.

While the line of sight can be affected by the Earth’s curve, the unprecedented boost in search and tracking capabilities could give the PLA Navy a major advantage, the researchers said.

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Radars in most military vessels have a working range of a few hundred kilometres, limited by the immense power required to extend their capability. The researchers said they overcame the problem, making the system suitable for newer ships with electric propulsion systems.

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