Elon Musk’s Starlink is covering the empty space above the Earth with its satellites, aiming to deliver internet to the farthest corners of the planet. But a study in China has claimed that laser-equipped People’s Liberation Army (PLA) submarines will be able to destroy these satellites if the country’s security is threatened. South China Morning Post (SCMP)The study has been carried out by PLA scientists. It further states that such submarines will be produced in large numbers and deployed in various oceans to counter China’s military threats.
The study further states that these undersea vehicles would have the capability to remain submerged in water, from which a retractable “optoelectronic mast” would extend and fire at targets.
The research, carried out by Wang Dan, a professor at the Naval Submarine Academy, was published last month in the Chinese-language journal Command Control and Simulation. SCMP Report.
The entire project is planned to hide the location of attacking vehicles (or submarines). Currently, missile launches are often accompanied by long trails of smoke, which can reveal the position of the attacking vehicle. The team said this is too risky.
“Currently, the primary means of anti-satellite operations rely on ground-to-air missiles, but this approach has some problems, primarily in terms of stealth,” SCMP The study quoted Ms Wang and her colleagues.
“Taking the satellites launched by the Starlink programme as an example, they are very numerous, densely packed and small in size, making the satellite network extremely resilient. Even if a large number of satellites are destroyed, there are spare satellites to replace them. Therefore, it is highly inefficient to use missiles to attack such satellites,” the team said.
“Submarine-based laser weapons can address these issues,” the study document further states.
It then provided step-by-step guidance for attacking satellites like Starlink.
“First, one or several submarines equipped with laser weapons are deployed in the sea area where the operation is to be carried out. They enter the target sea area as per command instructions and wait for the satellites to come within their attack range. The time to raise the laser weapon is determined based on the satellite overhead time obtained in advance,” the study said.
The researchers further added, “When the satellite enters the attackable range, the laser weapon is raised. Due to the limitations of the submarine’s detection equipment, attacking a satellite requires other forces to provide guidance to the satellite’s position. After the attack is completed, the submarine can submerge and wait for the next mission or return to the home port.”
As of June 2024, there are 6,219 Starlink satellites in orbit, of which 6,146 are operational, according to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who tracks the constellation on his website.
