Technology to Manipulate Ocean Activity to be Developed by China

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A few months ago, China approved funds for the development of a dual-purpose laser device that could be mounted on surveillance satellites, with the capability of targeting submarines operating in the ocean, and possibly manipulating ocean activity.

The project, called Project Guanlan (which, in Chinese, means “watching the big waves”), is additionally aimed at gaining Chinese control of oceanic traffic surveillance.

The project is particularly ambitious. In the past, both Russia and the U.S. tried and failed to acquire control over this technology. Their only success seen was the ability to penetrate 100 meters from the surface of the sea. This is not enough, as most of the efficient navies use submarines that operate at the depth of 500 meters.

In fact, for about a century, researchers have been trying to develop a device to hit submarines using LIDAR (light detection and ranging) technology.

A more recent success regarding the development of this technology has been achieved in NASA funded research projects. A laser device was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). It was mounted on a spy plane, which could hit targets up to 200-meter depth in sea – still about 300 meters short of the target zone, as reported by indiatoday.in.

It is therefore safe to say that Laser bombardment of a target at 500-meter depth has remained a dream for the advance weapon developing researchers.

Chinese researchers recently submitted a plan to the Chinese government giving details of how such a device could be developed.

This device, once ready, could be mounted on a plane as well as surveillance satellites of China.

Once complete, Project Guanlan of China would give the country the power to manipulate oceanic traffic – both civil and military. China may emerge as the data center for all kinds of marine activity across the globe, as the existing radar technology doesn’t provide enough information about movements of ships and submarines.