For China, the Ukraine War can be a lesson, especially regarding satellite technology. Although Russia and China are capable of jamming and spoofing the GPS (Global Positioning System), the Starlink satellite operated by SpaceX is different. Elon Musk's Starlink in the Ukrainian War, is said to have brought losses to the Russian military. And the Starlink case may become troublesome if one day China plans to invade Taiwan.
Although not specifically related to the existence of the Starlink satellite, at the Zhuhai AirShow 2022 event, for the first time China demonstrated a radar with a giant antenna codenamed SLC-18P Active Phased Array Radar. Quoted from eurasiantimes.com (10/11/2022), it is said that this radar is designed to target threats in outer space.
Because it became the mascot during the Zhuhai AirShow, this radar quickly caught the attention of Chinese netizens, who then called it the Anti Starlink radar.
The radar is designed primarily for surveillance of space targets, and analysts suspect it targets satellites in low Earth orbit. The satellite orbits at a distance of 500 to 2,000 kilometers from the earth's surface.
Several satellites orbiting in low earth orbit usually serve a role for intelligence gathering and surveillance on the battlefield. Therefore, countries around the world are looking for effective solutions to interfere with their opponent's satellites. In line with that goal, the SLC-18P anti-satellite radar was specifically created to detect and track threats from outer space.
The SLC-18P radar system reportedly uses solid-state AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology. This radar can perform search and acquisition, tracking measurement, orbit calculation, cataloging, and forecasting of targets on low orbit satellites. China claims this radar capable of acquiring measurement data of multi-target tracking.
China could just do GPS jamming to interfere with the navigation ability of the opponent. However, under the Starlink scenario, it could locate any point on the battlefield with an accuracy of eight meters.
In addition, the growing collaboration between SpaceX and the US military has worried Beijing. For example, in 2020, SpaceX signed a contract with the United States Department of Defense to build new technology based on the Starlink platform, including sensitive instruments capable of detecting and tracking hypersonic missiles.
These satellites (Starlink) may develop into a network of orbiting sensors and will provide information to the US missile defense system, where to direct their missiles, thereby deterring missile attacks from China.
Chinese analysts suspect that the Starlink satellite connection will enable US military drones and stealth fighter jets to increase their data transmission speed by more than 100 times. Given these concerns, it makes sense for China's defense sector to concentrate on developing anti-satellite radars.
The SLC-18P radar was developed by the 14th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC). CETC has been regarded as the pioneer of China's national electronics and information sector, the originator of the radar industry and the creator of large-scale, novel and advanced electronic equipment.
The radar uses a state-of-the-art all-solid-state active phase array system and operates in low frequency bands, which offers advantages such as multi-target capability and a wide search range. This radar system is capable of operating in all weather conditions.
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