China’s development of a new engine that uses low-resolution dish images to observe US warships around the world is a major improvement in sea surveillance capabilities and military strategy.
A team from the Dalian Naval Academy, led by Hong Jun, has created a method to track and identify US warships globally using low-resolution satellite images made available to the public, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP ).
The researchers focus on studying wake patterns, similar to fingerprints at sea, to distinguish between different ships, despite the poor quality of the images, where a ship may hold less than a image.
According to the SCMP report, the study, which was published in the Chinese book Computer Simulation, reveals real parameters that, when combined with their algorithm, could probably identify specific US warship models in specific circumstances.
It asserts that the US ship’s vessels have outdated Cool War-era technology. As demonstrated by the Houthi’s repeated attacks on the nuclear-powered USS Dwight D Eisenhower aircraft carrier, the ability to monitor and recognize these boats is essential for launching problems on moving targets at sea.
According to the SCMP review, China has significantly expanded its World study satellite network, with resolutions similar to those of the US Keyhole detective satellites. These satellites are used to record high-speed F-22 cunning fighter jets and monitor warships.
The report says that programs like NASA’s Worldview give near-real-time pictures for free for institutions without advanced dish abilities, albeit at lower proposals. The researchers note, however, that despite the extensive awake patterns of ships, yet these images can be useful for send recognition.
At the same time, SCMP points out that the methodology has considerations, such as limitations with fast-moving goals and under powerful winds and waves. According to the report, the experts emphasize the need for further screening and refinement in order to improve accuracy.
That advancement follows a string of China’s innovations in space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance ( ISR ). In May 2024, Asia Times reported that China’s Taijing-4 03 sensor imaging spacecraft has captured detailed pictures of the US Navy’s important Naval Station Norfolk.
The images revealed three US plane companies, two warships and four unexplained vessels. The satellite has advanced surveillance tools like artificial aperture ( SAR ) and AI processors for quick target identification and identification.
Additionally, China has equipped its Jilin-1 commercial World study dish with AI, enabling it to reach a 95 % accuracy rate in identifying little objects, seven times greater than its previous technology.
Moving objects are said to be tracked by AI even if they twist quickly or vanish into a hole. By 2025, China plans to launch the full cluster of 138 Jilin-1 satellites in orbit.
In inclusion, a Taiwanese AI-powered satellite detected and tracked the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier during a state transport chisel off Long Island, New York’s beach, providing China with real-time locations of the company’s location.
The satellite’s AI could rapidly process high-definition images, identifying military assets with minimal computational resources. Despite limitations in space, such as processing power and harsh conditions, Chinese scientists have also made breakthroughs in AI “weight reduction” and chip resilience.
Clayton Swope explains why China prioritizes investing in space-based observation and imagery in a January 2024 article for the Center for Strategic and International Studies ( CSIS ).
According to Swope, these investments enable China to effectively monitor the Indo-Pacific region in real-time in an effort to combat threats to its freedom of movement and security.
He claims that China’s combination of its current geosynchronous space-based optical surveillance capabilities and its new geosynchronous space-based optical surveillance capabilities will make it easier to find and track US and allied naval forces in the Indo-Pacific.
Swope also mentions that because stealth technology is less effective against optical sensors, it may be possible for China to detect smaller objects like ships and airborne assets like fighter jets and bombers.
These capabilities enable China to now automatically identify and recognize ships, send real-time targeting data to missile launch sites, and significantly improve its ability to attack carriers and demolish combat aircraft on the ground in a pre-emptive strike.
In February 2023, Asia Times noted that these developments challenge carriers ‘ relevance. On the one hand, carriers serve as mobile airbases, operating outside anti-access/area denial ( A2/AD ) bubbles.
They are more survivable than static land-based airbases. They also serve as the maritime powers ‘ dominant status symbols.
On the other hand, China’s strategy to combat US naval dominance in the Pacific appears to be validated by the vulnerability of large surface warships to advanced anti-ship missiles, as demonstrated by the Moskva sinking in February 2022.
Chinese naval planners intend to use advanced anti-ship ballistic missiles, such as the DF-21D and DF-26B, to preemptively strike US aircraft carriers.
These developments may lead to a fundamental shift in naval doctrine, removing the carrier from its position as the navies ‘ primary ship. If these multibillion-dollar warships only perform a few functions and are viewed as too risky, defense planners and politicians may object to funding them.
The US may be considering fielding more “lightning carriers,” smaller carriers with lighter aircraft loads, but the ships may have the same vulnerabilities as their larger counterparts because their small air wings restrict their combat capabilities.
In addition, SCMP reported this month that China has simulated attacks on US military installations in the Xinjiang desert, including fighter jets and aircraft carriers.
A model aircraft carrier and 20 jet replicas that resemble US stealth fighters are shown in SCMP satellite imagery that have signs of significant damage, possibly as a result of practice missile and air attacks.
According to the report, the exercises are a part of China’s plan to counteract the projection of US naval power, particularly in situations involving Taiwan or the South China Sea.
SCMP points out that these exercises may also serve as preemptive long-range strikes against strategic locations like Guam, Alaska, and Hawaii, and may increase China’s precision in striking moving targets at sea and land-based facilities like airfields.