Is China’s latest space mission a step towards PLA tracking of nuclear submarines?

The cold atomic clock that has been placed into orbit aboard the Tiangong-2 space laboratory. Photo: Chinese Academy of Sciences

 

Chinese scientists are working on a space-based device that could track gravitational ripples produced by submerged submarines

Chinese astronauts have played many roles in space, including teacher, mechanic and tourist.

But all the science classes, repair missions and spacewalk flag-waving have tended to obscure the fact that they are, first and foremost, members of the People’s Liberation Army.

China’s manned space programme has so far given its astronauts few opportunities to fulfil [sic] military roles, but that will all change when its space station is completed in the next six years.

US lasers? PLA preparing to raise its deflector shields

Chinese scientists say they have developed protective coatings that would render weapons like the US’ ship-mounted laser useless in battle

Laser weapons like those developed by the United States pose little threat to the PLA – smog or no smog – because mainland researchers have pioneered coatings that can deflect beams and render them harmless, mainland scientists say.

PLA Navy Rear Admiral Zhang Zhaozhong drew widespread ridicule last month when the National Defence University researcher suggested that China’s thick smog provided the country’s best defence against military lasers, like the gun the US Navy plans to deploy aboard a vessel in the Middle East this summer.

Chinese scientists upbeat on development of invisibility cloak

Undoubtably this will have military application and future useage in the PLA. Reports of this technology first came from the US roughly 7 years ago, and Britain 6 years ago or so. The British were working on cloaking capability for their tanks.

One team has already made a cat ‘disappear’ with a device that has huge military potential

Mainland scientists are increasingly confident of developing the world’s first invisibility cloak, using technology to hide objects from view and make them “disappear”.

The central government has funded at least 40 research teams over the past three years to develop the idea, which until now has largely been the stuff of science fiction and fantasy novels like the Harry Potter series.