China Allegedly Tests US Abandoned ‘Dream Shell,’ Soars It at Mach 7 Speeds
Chinese scientists have allegedly developed a “smart” shell that can travel at Mach 7 and change its flight plan via satellite navigation, reports the South China Morning Post (SCMP). Supposedly inspired by America’s plans for a “dream shell,” the new projectile can reliably hit targets within a 50-foot (15-meter) radius. All this while traveling at around 8,202 feet per second (2,500 meters per second).
A revolutionary ordinance
A powerful electromagnetic gun drives the “smart” shell and can “reliably” receive signals from the BeiDou satellite navigation system. While its claimed precision is insufficient for hitting small moving targets like tanks, the technology should be more than enough for larger targets such as warships or ports.
The “dream shell” concept was first introduced by the US Navy in 2012, to launch a projectile using electromagnetic rail guns or coil guns, which would then travel at a phenomenal speed of Mach 5, guided by GPS signals. The US military had planned to create and test-fire a shell using an electromagnetic gun within five years. However, the deadline passed, and as of 2017, research on the shell was still ongoing, according to some reports from US media.
By 2021, the US military had abandoned the electromagnetic gun program, and there is currently no publicly available information regarding the fate of the GPS-guided shell project. However, Northrop Grumman has been contracted to develop a guided “Smart” 57mm shell for the US Navy. Other examples include the M928 “Excalibur” 1550mm extended-range guided artillery shell currently in service. However, both of these are fired from conventional guns, not electromagnetic ones.
The Chinese one, however, has been developed, so SCMP reports without external guidance. “We had no guidance, not even a cursory introduction to guided missile navigation systems, especially the satellite navigation component,” wrote the team led by Feng Junhong with the National Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Energy at the Naval University of Engineering in a paper published in the Journal of the Naval University of Engineering in November.
Electromagnetic launch weapons have the potential to revolutionize the battlefield by providing a cost-effective way to deliver a barrage of shells while maintaining the accuracy and range of missiles. During launch, electromagnetic fields generated by these weapons can damage delicate electronic components such as chips and antennas. Scientists and engineers worldwide, including those in China, have been vexed by the dilemma of creating “smart” shells that both receive weak satellite signals and maintain electromagnetic shielding capabilities.
In their paper, Feng et al. revealed a new antenna design that can withstand strong electromagnetic radiation while receiving highly accurate positioning signals from the BeiDou military frequency band. The experts shared an in-depth insight into the unique internal design of the BeiDou signal receiver. When a shell is launched, this receiver has to withstand a force that is more than 25,000 times the gravity of Earth.
As the shell travels through the air, it generates intense heat due to friction. To prevent this, Chinese scientists used aerogel as a thermal barrier – a cost-effective and mass-produced material.
