Bionic launcher technology could have multiple uses including deep tissue sampling, smart-seeding in agriculture or even as a soft bullet.
Chinese naval researchers have reportedly developed an advanced smart shell for kinetic energy weaponry, potentially revolutionizing military strategies. This projectile, launched by a powerful electromagnetic gun, achieves an astonishing velocity of Mach 7. This formidable projectile consistently receives continuous guidance from the BeiDou satellite system, enabling it to adjust its trajectory continuously and ensuring a trajectory deviation of less than 15 meters until impact.
Despite its remarkable speed, covering 2,500 meters in a mere second, its precision is not yet refined enough for smaller, mobile targets like tanks but is sufficient for larger stationary targets such as warships or ports, a South China Morning Post report said.
The US Navy initially conceptualized this type of “dream shell” in 2012, aiming to reinforce its global military supremacy. The concept involved a projectile, propelled by electromagnetic rail or coil guns, navigating at Mach 5 speeds, directed by GPS signals. Despite plans to develop and test this technology within five years, progress stalled, and by 2021, the US had abandoned its electromagnetic gun program, leaving the status of the GPS-guided shell project uncertain.
In contrast, the Chinese team, led by Feng Junhong from the National Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Energy at the Naval University of Engineering, claims to have made significant strides without external assistance. Their research, detailed in the Journal of Naval University of Engineering, highlights the challenges of electromagnetic launch systems. These systems, while promising cost-effective, long-range, and precise strikes, pose risks to sensitive electronic components due to the intense electromagnetic fields generated during launch.
To address these challenges, Feng’s team introduced an innovative antenna design capable of withstanding severe electromagnetic interference while accurately receiving signals from the BeiDou military frequency band. They also tackled the intense physical forces and heat encountered during flight, employing a cost-effective aerogel as a thermal barrier and designing a robust internal structure for the BeiDou signal receiver to withstand forces over 25,000 times that of Earth’s gravity, the SCMP report said.
