China has learned to jam Elon Musk’s satellite internet
28 November 10:12
Specialists from Zhejiang University and the Beijing Institute of Technology have successfully tested the technology of suppressing satellite Internet using drones, the South China Morning Post reports, "Komersant Ukrainian".
During the experiment, they modeled a situation in which the People’s Liberation Army of China had to deprive the enemy of Starlink communications on a territory the size of Taiwan. The calculations showed that this is technically possible, but it would require about 1,000 drones equipped with electronic warfare (EW).
According to the publication, China has begun looking for ways to jam the satellite Internet developed by the American SpaceX company of billionaire Elon Musk, having evaluated the effectiveness of Starlink after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Beijing has been thinking about how to wage a war for Taiwan if the enemy receives communication not from vulnerable ground stations but from an orbital swarm of up to 8,000 satellites that can maneuver, change frequencies, signal routes, resist interference, and adapt faster than they can jam it.
During the experiment, the scientists concluded that to block such an Internet in Taiwan, 935 to 2000 drones with synchronized jammers would be needed – the specific number would depend on the quality and complexity of the equipment. In addition to drones, electronic warfare equipment is proposed to be placed on balloons or airplanes – according to Chinese experts, all this should create an electromagnetic shield over the enemy’s territory.
Starlink is a network that provides broadband Internet access anywhere in the world. For this purpose, a group of more than 8,800 satellites is deployed in orbit at an altitude of 550 km. Starlink terminals play an important role in ensuring the operation of drones, mobile air defense groups, electronic warfare equipment and video surveillance systems in Ukraine, which is defending itself against Russia.
