China claims to be producing hypersonic electromagnetic artillery shells that can change their flight path, a "dream" projectile that the US has failed to develop successfully.
This artillery shell model was developed by scientists at the Chinese Naval University of Engineering, and can reach Mach 7 when fired from an electromagnetic cannon, equivalent to more than 8,600 km/h.
Feng Junhong, head of the research team, said that during flight, the artillery shell will receive signals from the Beidou satellite system to continuously adjust its flight direction, maintaining an error of less than 15 meters until it hits the target.
This accuracy may not be high enough to hit small moving targets such as tanks and armored vehicles, but is suitable for aiming at larger objects such as warships or seaports.
According to the development team, the idea for this weapon originated from the concept of "dream artillery" that the US Navy first proposed in 2012. The "dream artillery" that the US wants to develop has a flight speed of Mach 5 (about 6,000 km/h) and is guided by GPS signals.
The US Navy planned to build and test this artillery shell within 5 years, but failed to achieve the goal and the research was canceled in 2021. The US later developed a number of other smart artillery shells, such as the 155 mm M928 Excalibur, but they were fired from conventional guns, not electromagnetic weapons, so they had a much lower flight speed.
Chinese frigate docks at Cape Town port, South Africa in 2019. Photo: Xinhua
Although the US was the first to come up with the idea, the Chinese development team asserted that they did not receive any foreign support to carry out the project of manufacturing "smart artillery shells".
To overcome this, the development team said they have created a new type of antenna that is resistant to electromagnetic radiation, but can still receive signals from satellite navigation systems. The shell is made from aerogel, a material with high insulation and durability, thereby limiting the risk of cracking and breaking due to the heat generated by friction with the air.
The development team also designed a special algorithm to ensure that the satellite signal is not interrupted throughout the missile's flight path, thereby increasing the accuracy of the strike.
It is not yet clear whether China has successfully tested this type of artillery shell or not. The development team has not released any images of this "dream" artillery shell model.
The Chinese navy has recently announced several breakthroughs in the field of electromagnetic weapons, including advanced energy storage systems, high-strength alloy coatings, and sophisticated control and monitoring systems. Beijing announced last September that it had developed a new electromagnetic railgun called the "Gauss," which can accelerate a 124 kg projectile from 0 to 700 km/h in 0.05 seconds.
Pham Giang (According to RT, Eurasian Times, IE )
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