China’s New “Game-Changing” Spy Tech

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Chinese researchers have reportedly developed a new “game-changer” military surveillance technology- an AI-enabled signal intelligence device.

South China Morning Post reports that with this technology, enemy assets have “nowhere to hide.” The technology is claimed to achieve seamless, wide bandwidth, real-time monitoring, and analysis across the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as pick up ranges from amateur radio broadcasts to more sophisticated devices like Starlink satellites.

The researchers claim that this technology will enable the Chinese military to detect and track enemy signals with unparalleled speed, instantly decipher the physical characteristics of these signals, and effectively suppress them. Moreover, this can allegedly be done without disrupting their communications, ensuring the smooth flow of their signals.

According to Interesting Engineering, the project was led by scientist Yang Kai from the School of Information and Electronics at the Beijing Institute of Technology. Yang wrote in the paper published about the innovation that the new generation of electromagnetic spectrum monitoring equipment is compact, high-performing, and energy-efficient. This kind of technology was previously thought impossible due to the massive amount of data that needed to be processed during warfare.

Yang explains that traditional spectrum monitoring systems are limited by their hardware and are restricted to analyzing a bandwidth of 40-160 MHz, while signals that fall outside this specific range are usually monitored through sampling scans. This method is therefore risking the loss of important information.

Yang’s team claims that the new tech allows for seamless detection and real-time monitoring of frequencies in the gigahertz zone. They claim that this new device can capture and analyze pulse signals emitted by the US military (even if they switch to civilian frequencies), and if intercepted and disrupted, it could affect the coordination of US military units.

The surveillance system, SCMP reports, is able to automatically analyze processed signals to extract valuable information such as physical parameters, modulation methods, and identification of friendly or civilian sources. The researchers have also reportedly integrated artificial intelligence into the critical data analysis process to overcome challenges like differentiating between civilian and military signals, large data sets, etc.

If the allegations are true, the new device significantly improves Chinese electronic warfare capabilities, especially regarding real-time monitoring and analysis of the electromagnetic spectrum.