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‘Subdue the enemy without fighting’: how China’s powerful water cannon will change the game in South China Sea
- An AI-controlled water cannon developed by Chinese researchers can hit targets with an error of only two metres in rough conditions
- It is a 33 to 54 per cent improvement over traditional water cannons and could assist China during clashes in contested waters
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Stephen Chenin Beijing
The world’s first “smart” water cannon, controlled by artificial intelligence (AI), has been developed by researchers in central China – and it could take the non-lethal weapon to new heights.
Beijing increasingly sees the weapons as vital to bolstering its hold over the disputed waters while also lowering the odds of armed clashes.
The use of water cannons in South China Sea disputes is likely to increase in frequency and intensity, potentially changing the rules of the game in this sensitive region, according to some Chinese coastguard researchers.
A water cannon is a device driven by a high-pressure water pump to generate a strong, high-speed jet. A powerful water cannon can attack targets over 100 metres (328 feet) away, generating a pressure of more than 1.2 megapascals. An adult male facing that head-on could be subjected to an impact force of nearly nine tonnes, equivalent to being stepped on by an African elephant.
In recent months, Philippine ships have frequently been hit by water cannons during stand-offs with Chinese coastguard vessels. In one notable incident last month, a cockpit windscreen was shattered, injuring several personnel.
In another clash at Second Thomas Shoal, known as Renai Reef in China and Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines, crew members of a Philippine supply ship waved a white flag due to the relentless barrage of the weapons.
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