China has developed a hyper-fast device weapon that could improve protection against fast missiles, posing a formidable challenge to conventional missile security systems.
South China Morning Post (SCMP ) reported this month that Chinese scientists are developing a revolutionary machine gun known as the” Metal Storm,” which can fire bullets at a rate of 450, 000 per minute per barrel.
The tool, which could one day be the most potent machine gun in history, has five or more barrels and is designed to stop hypersonic missiles moving at speeds over Jet 7 from the radar.
According to the review, the task, which is being led by Lu Xutao, an associate professor at the North University of China, uses a novel box-type circular firing systems with removable publications filled with biodegradable barrels. This creativity addresses the difficulty of refilling ammunition for a tool that burns thousands of rounds per minute. The electric set program, developed by Lu’s group, uses coils to create a high-energy material jet that ignites the violent, achieving a firing time of only 17.5 microseconds.
The Metal Storm concept was developed in the 1990s by Australian innovator MikeO’Dwyer, but his business went bankrupt in 2012. According to the report, China’s continued investment in this tech aims to beat the Northern design by at least ten times in the fire price, making it crucial for defending territorial waters and aircraft in upcoming issues.
Gun-based defenses such as China’s” Metal Storm” have a key advantage over missile defense systems in the sense that they have faster reaction times – they may begin firing almost quickly at an approaching threat’s basic direction, in contrast to missile-based defenses that take time to identify, identify, track, and join targets.
However, unlike missile defense systems, gun-based defenses have a very short range – just 5 to 9 kilometers in the case of the US Navy’s Phalanx close-in weapons system ( CIWS), limiting their use to point defense scenarios.
When the target must be instantly destroyed, gun-based defenses may perform poorly. There is a chance that a hypersonic missile still hits its target despite suffering multiple bullet hits, with its high velocity guaranteeing heavy damage just by sheer kinetic energy, unlike an interceptor hit that can completely destroy an incoming missile using hit-to-kill methods.
Existing and future defense strategies that face cost, technical, and operational challenges face significant technical and structural challenges.
Hypersonic weapons, which can travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5, have exceptional maneuverability and low-altitude flight, making them difficult to detect with conventional radar and missile defense systems. These flight characteristics make it possible for hypersonic missiles to make use of air defense defense gaps.
Ballistic missiles are targeted by traditional missile defense strategies and technologies at various stages of their flight. A boost phase intercept may have the best chance of intercepting a ballistic missile when its rocket motors are burning to launch it into a high altitude. Positioning interceptor missiles close to the target are required for this strategy. Ballistic missiles also have short boost phases, lasting only 3-5 minutes, providing a tiny time window for interception.
A ballistic missile travels through space in a ballistic arc when it reaches its midpoint. This long phase gives more time for interception. However, within this time frame, it can deploy countermeasures, decoys, and penetration aids to defeat incoming interceptors.
When a ballistic missile re-enters the atmosphere and enters its final phase, defending it against specific targets like cities or military installations is necessary. However, this phase has a very short time window for the interception, and the re-entering missile travels at hypersonic speed, making interception very challenging. An already difficult task would become even more challenging if you hit a maneuvering target like a hypersonic missile.
The SM-6 Dual is the only US interceptor missile with some form of effectiveness against hypersonic threats, according to Asia Times in February 2022, and even then, its range of potential may be minimal.
Cognizant of the SM-6 Dual’s shortcomings, a June 2024 US Congressional Research Service ( CRS ) report mentions that the US is developing interceptors such as the Glide Phase Interceptor ( GPI ) and Glide Breaker projects to defeat hypersonic threats.
However, these interceptors ‘ high costs and protracted production times may make them ineligible against a saturation hypersonic missile attack. Additionally, the number of interceptors that US warships can carry is limited due to the limited magazine depth.
Although directed energy weapons like lasers and microwaves have been hailed as the future of missile defense and have been hailed as the best way to attack missiles with virtually unlimited ammunition at a reasonable price, the technology has not lived up to its promise.
In January 2024, Asia Times noted that key limitations in the US laser weapons program include the need for substantial physical, weight, power, and cooling space, which current US surface combatants lack.
While US initiatives like the HELIOS laser and the ODIN ( Optical Dazzling Interdictor ) systems are continuing efforts, technological maturity issues persist, such as improving beam quality and control. Further, the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, already maxed out on upgrade potential, face internal space constraints, limiting the installation of new power generation systems necessary for laser weapons.
Railguns have been looked into as a potential defense against hypersonic weapons, similar to shooting down a bullet with a bullet. They use electromagnetic energy to propel a projectile instead of explosive propellants like traditional guns.
However, as with laser weapons, railguns have substantial physical, weight, power, and cooling space requirements. Further, the current railgun technology only permits a few shots per barrel because the intense heat from firing warps the rails, which are responsible for the projectile’s propellant.
Given the limitations of current and future counter-hypersonic defense systems, it would be possible to go against their kill chains, which include the people, processes, and assets required for a successful hypersonic missile attack.
However, Asia Times pointed out in December 2024 that multi-domain operations ( MDO ) may be the latest military conceptual boondoggle. Most ideas lack a crystal-clear theory of victory, generally frame adversaries, and make exaggerated assumptions about technological prowess, which could reduce the success of inter-service rivalry and whole-of-government strategies.