Chinese military scientists bring energy shield from science fiction to life to defend against enemy radiation: paper
- Plasma-based energy shield is a radical new approach reminiscent of tai chi principles – it aims to convert the attacker’s energy into a defensive force
- Team spurred by pressure from US, which has Active Denial System, Vigilant Eagle system and AGM-86 cruise missile with microwave warhead and weapons
This invisible veil of protection composed of electrically charged ions stands ready to guard China’s drones, missiles and other such weaponry against high-powered microwave attacks, much like the visionary technologies portrayed in the cinematic worlds of Star Trek or Star Wars.
When an assailant’s radiation comes calling, the energy shield springs to life in an instant – and its resistance grows stronger with each escalating attack.
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Modern technology is vulnerable in the face of high-powered microwaves. Even military chips fortified with special circuits may struggle to withstand microwave attacks packing several kilowatts of punch at close range.
These powerful waves wreak havoc on the electrical currents within the chip and send its internal temperature soaring.
The team led by Chen Zongsheng, an associate researcher at the State Key Laboratory of Pulsed Power Laser Technology at the National University of Defence Technology, said their “low-temperature plasma shield” could protect sensitive circuits from electromagnetic weapon bombardments with up to 170kW at a distance of only 3 metres (9.8 feet). Laboratory tests have shown the feasibility of this unusual technology.
“We’re in the process of developing miniaturised devices to bring this technology to life,” Chen and his collaborators wrote in a peer-reviewed paper published in the Journal of National University of Defence Technology last month.
Chen’s team said its research had been spurred by pressure from the US.
