China's 5G Military Leap: Could This Change Warfare Forever?

China has introduced the world's first mobile 5G base station that is ready for deployment in battlefield conditions. The advanced system offers high-speed, ultra-secure and low-data transmissions for up to 10,000 users within a three-kilometre radius, according to a report in South China Morning Post (SCMP). Jointly developed by China Mobile Communications Group and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the technology has the capability of changing the warfare landscape according to the details published in the Chinese journal, Telecommunications Science.

Led by senior engineer Hou Jie with the 31567 Unit of the PLA, the base station's deployment is a significant step in China's pursuit of building the largest unmanned army on Earth, involving the use of intelligent war machines such as drones, robot dogs and other forms of unmanned hardware.

Notably, the military-grade 5G communication system differs substantially from the civilian versions. The system must ensure connectivity where ground and base stations are absent or satellite signals are absent/disrupted. Additionally, the antenna height should not be more than 3 metres in order to avoid obstacles viz., trees and buildings.

Keeping all these conditions in mind, the scientists devised a novel solution: a platform mounted atop a military vehicle that houses three to four drones. These unmanned aerial vehicles take off alternatively and serve as an aerial base station. Once the battery of a drone is discharged, the other takes its place, ensuring no communication blackout.

PLA claims to have conducted several tests on the system, which ensures seamless performance even when the military units are moving at speeds of 80km/h through urban or mountainous terrains and under electromagnetic interference. It achieves a total data throughput of 10 gigabits per second, with a latency of less than 15 milliseconds.

"The operation of such a vast network necessarily requires powerful automation tools and means, among which automatic station opening technology is one. It can autonomously complete core network base station data production, data loading, baseline parameter configuration and other tasks," Hou's team wrote.

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China's advancements

This is not the first instance when China has claimed to introduce revolutionary hardware to enhance its battlefield capabilities. Last month, reports claimed that a Chinese scientist had equipped small drones with the capability to emit powerful metal-cutting laser beams - a feat previously believed to be impossible.

Currently, generating a laser beam that is capable of piercing a metal body requires large equipment usually loaded on a truck which limits its use in real-life situations. However, as per the study published, the Chinese developed a novel device that can redirect a laser beam from a ground station, allowing the drone to act as a mobile laser weapon without carrying the power source itself.