China Claims Its Radar Can Track 10 Hypersonic Missiles At Mach 20

Chinese scientists claim they have developed a new radar system that can track multiple hypersonic missiles traveling up to Mach 20.

During the tests, the radar also yielded an unprecedented 99.7% accuracy in estimating the missile’s speed.

A form of microwave photonic radar, the new system has a range of 373 miles (600 km) and can even distinguish real targets from false alarms, Christopher McFadden reported for Interesting Engineering.

Developed by a team led by Prof. Zheng Xiaoping from Tsinghua University’s Department of Electronic Engineering, the new radar demonstrated impressive accuracy in ground-based simulations.

The microwave photonic radar is small and lightweight, making it suitable for loading onto air defense missiles or planes. Under these tests, the radar estimated a missile’s distance at nearly 22,966 feet per second (7 km per second) with an error margin of just 11 inches (28 cm.)

During the tests, the radar also yielded an unprecedented 99.7% accuracy in estimating the missile’s speed.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the team addressed the challenge of creating and analyzing high-precision radar signals by integrating lasers into the radar design.

This allows information to be transmitted between essential points at nearly the speed of light.

If true, this would enable the radar system to produce and analyze intricate microwave signals that accurately measure ultra-high-speed objects. Military experts consider it a key technology for the next generation of fire-control radars.