Chinese scientists say they have developed an advanced new weapon using 6G technology, which they claim can confuse even advanced fighter jets and jam their communication systems.
Researchers claim the new radio signal processing system provides advantages against modern radar equipment.
They say the 6G weapon can intercept enemy relays and generate thousands of decoy signals to confuse pilots of advanced fighter jets like the US-made F-35.
It can also work as a communications device to transmit large quantities of information in a short time span, according to the study, published in the Chinese optics journal Acta Optica Sinica.
This marks the world’s first publicly disclosed system with “simultaneous same-frequency communication and jamming capabilities”, researchers say.
“The evolution of 6G technology is driving the convergence of communications, radar and electronic warfare applications,” they wrote.
6G technology represents the latest generation of communication networks that enable faster speeds, lower latency, and greater capacity compared to the current 5G systems.
It may lead to data transmission rates rising to 100 Gbps with a latency of less than 1 millisecond – a capacity potentially 1000 times that of 5G.
The latest advances are possible due to 6G enabling the combined processing of both photons and electrons using what’s called microwave-photonic systems.
One such system is called a microwave photonic filter (MPF), which is emerging as a promising solution for high-performance radio frequency (RF) signal processing.
Integrated microwave photonic filters (IMPFs) are gaining increased attention in recent times due to their potential to enable compact, reconfigurable, and low-power radio frequency communication systems.
Unlike microwave systems, which are focused solely on singular capabilities like communication or sensing, these microwave-photonic systems have broadband capacity with low loss, strong anti-interference properties and tuneable flexibility.
These features make multiple simultaneous functions possible, like high-speed transmission and signal reconstruction.
In the study, scientists describe a novel microwave photonic radio frequency device with integrated communication-jamming functionality.
The device “shows superior signal storage, jamming and transmission performance in a compact, multifunctional architecture, delivering a groundbreaking approach for next-generation electronic warfare,” they wrote.
However, the current 6G technology still faces a “contradiction between system simplification and functional enhancement”, scientists explained.
In further developments, researchers hope to reduce components and power consumption of the new device while enhancing its signal quality and processing capabilities, according to SCMP.
The latest development also highlights China’s dominance in the field of 6G communication technology, with the country boasting the largest collection of patents on such technology worldwide.
