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Stephen Chen

A rigorous test to examine the ability of nuclear-proof data link communications equipment to survive a nuclear attack has been completed in China, according to engineers involved in the project.
Equipment was pushed well beyond the limits of existing military standards in the test, they said.
News of the simulation exercise comes amid a growing fear of nuclear war. In March, the UN warned that the risk of nuclear war had reached its highest point in decades.
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the US, China, France, Russia and Britain – which possess the most nuclear weapons, have all recently conducted tests of strategic intercontinental ballistic missiles.
China’s launch of a DF-31AG missile with 12,000km (7,450-mile) range last month drew global attention because it had not publicly demonstrated this ability for more than four decades.
Beijing has pledged not to be the first to use nuclear weapons. This means China’s retaliating forces need to survive the first wave of any attack.
So engineers envisioned the scenario they believe is most likely to happen: a nuclear bomb detonating in the stratosphere, dozens of kilometres above the ground.
This attack method, known as high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP), poses no harm to people on the ground or buildings, but it can wreak havoc on electronic equipment.
The high-energy electrons generated by the nuclear explosion can infiltrate communications shelters through antennas, cables and even ventilation ducts, causing extensive damage to wires, chips and other electronic components.
While both American and Chinese military standards require HEMP-proof communications equipment to withstand an electric field as strong as 50 kilovolts per metre, Chinese engineers raised the intensity by 60 per cent to 80 kilovolts per metre during the field test to simulate the electromagnetic pulse produced by a nuclear blast.
Despite the increased severity, the equipment remained unscathed, and the data link network quickly recovered after a brief interruption.
Due to national security concerns, China has been tight-lipped about similar tests in the past.


The data link hardware was reinforced by engineers with the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), which is the main supplier of electronic warfare equipment for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
A military representative from the PLA Air Force equipment department witnessed the test. The date of the test remains classified.
In a peer-reviewed paper published in the Chinese academic journal Wireless Communication Technology in September, project engineer Li Zhirui and his colleagues wrote: “When gamma rays released during a nuclear explosion collide with air molecules at the speed of light, electrons in the air molecules are ejected and rapidly diffuse outwards.
“The use of such weapons by the enemy can cause extensive damage and paralysis of our electronic equipment. Therefore, studying the mechanism and protective measures against high-altitude electromagnetic pulses is crucial for enhancing the survivability of our equipment.”
The Chinese engineers have taken a number of measures to harden the data link, which plays a critical role in modern warfare.
Antennas, for instance, are designed to receive extremely weak signals. But when an electromagnetic pulse arrives, it couples with the antenna, generating a powerful induced current.
To mitigate this, Li and his colleagues modified the design of traditional antennas to direct most of the excess current into the ground, ensuring their safety even when the current intensity reaches 50 times the theoretically predicted maximum value.
What troubled them even more was “back-door intrusion” where electromagnetic pulses enter equipment cabins through gaps and holes in equipment shells, power lines, cables and chassis.
Thanks to new materials, advanced manufacturing processes and innovative designs, engineers have been able to seal these potential back doors.
The paper said that the realisation of these measures, such as special welding techniques, was a testament to China’s manufacturing and engineering capabilities.


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China

Engineers push communications equipment to the limit to see if it could survive a nuclear attack


Engineers push communications equipment to the limit to see if it could survive a nuclear attack.


Nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)

China’s military

China's military weapons