China’s military AI detects secret radar links between South China Sea, Alaska and Guam
China and its competitors engaged in electronic confrontation “every day” around the globe, said the research team led by Zhou Changlin of the Strategic Support Forces Information Engineering University. They published their findings in a peer-reviewed paper in the Journal of Terahertz Science and Electronic Information Technology in May.
These events generate a large amount of signal data, including information on time, frequency, location, and electromagnetic parameters, Zhou and his colleagues wrote.
This data, which can be collected by warships, aircraft and satellites, has grown rapidly in terms of volume and complexity in recent years.
Traditional analysis methods have not been fast or accurate enough to meet the Chinese military’s intelligence data mining needs, according to the researchers.
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The AI system can analyse historical signals filled with noise and uncertainty to identify patterns of electronic tactical coordination among different types of radars belonging to different countries at various locations.
The paper lists some events that the AI considers to be correlated and provides their geographical coordinates.
This information helps the Chinese military better plan electronic warfare tasks such as electromagnetic suppression, deception, and jamming.
Zhou’s team says that the AI could also identify unknown types of radars, accurately guess their confidential operating parameters and even predict the future deployment of foreign naval fleets.
The electronic warfare AI works with other intelligence platforms, such as imaging satellites, to cross-check its findings.
Human experts have also played an important role in fine-tuning the AI model parameters, according to Zhou’s team.
The PLA’s electronic warfare equipment has made rapid progress in recent years, and its electronic warfare strategy has become proactive, while the United States sometimes finds itself on the defensive.
The US Navy destroyer USS Rafael Peralta said on its official Facebook page that the ship “protected Guam” during the Chinese and Russian deployment.
However, the US Navy subsequently deleted the statement and described its interaction with Chinese and Russian warships as “safe and professional”, according to a Newsweek report on Monday.