New device could protect satellites from microwave attacks, scientists say

 New device could protect satellites from microwave attacks, scientists say

However, military users might have reservations about the technology proposed by Zhang’s team, said the researcher, who studies the physics of high-speed fluids.

Mobile platforms for pulsed energy weapons, such as warships, planes and trucks, would have to overcome many engineering problems to be able to host a detonation shock device, he said.

Zhang’s system contains a detonation shock tunnel made of several sections of tubes, each separated by metallic membranes that allow scientists to control the explosions.

However, the Beijing-based researcher noted that reloading new membranes after each shot could be difficult on the battlefield, unless the job could be automated in a quick and reliable manner.

The power-generating explosion could also produce a loud noise that would expose the weapon’s location, he said.

The research team’s generator was assembled and tested at a research facility for developing hypersonic weapons. The Beijing-based institute, set up in 1956 by Qian Xuesen, the father of China’s rocket programme, plays an important role in the country’s hypersonic research.

China’s hypersonic weapons programme was founded with the goal of developing missiles that can travel at more than five times the speed of sound and penetrate an air defence system.

Beijing’s huge investment in its hypersonic weapons programme has spurred research in many other sectors including new materials, communication technology and AI.