By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News
China reportedly has made a breakthrough that could threaten American submarines in an area that has gained strategic importance in recent years – the Arctic.
According to Army Recognition, Chinese scientists have developed a passive depth-discrimination technique using simulations based on data Beijing collected during an expedition to the region in 2020. The Beaufort Sea, which is located north of Alaska and Canada’s Northwest Territories and Yukon, is known to have unique acoustic properties. Researchers at Harbin Engineering University have used that to “achieve unprecedented accuracy in identifying and locating underwater targets, potentially reshaping the dynamics of submarine warfare in the region.”
The result – the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is now said to be able to track US submarines under ice-covered waters. One report says the new technology can detect 93 percent of submerged targets and 100 percent of those on the surface.
That would allow China to protect some of its most important strategic assets, such as its ballistic missile submarines. It also offsets some of the stealth advantage held by US and allied submarines.
Last year, the Pentagon warned of growing Chinese interest in the Arctic. “The PRC is attempting to leverage changing dynamics in the Arctic to pursue greater influence and access, take advantage of Arctic resources and play a larger role in regional governance,” the Defense Department’s 2024 Arctic Strategy report said. “Over the course of the PRC’s 13 Arctic research expeditions to date, the (three Chinese icebreakers) have tested unmanned underwater vehicles and polar-capable fixed-wing aircraft, among other activities.”
The report urged increasing the capabilities of the US joint force’s Arctic capabilities by investing in sensors, intelligence and information-sharing capabilities. It also called for more military exercises in the region, including those with allies and partners.
The latest Chinese development is being seen as a serious challenge to the American submarine force. “The presence of a sophisticated Chinese detection grid could undermine the survivability of these assets, eroding one of the US Navy’s key strategic advantages,” Army Recognition notes. “…the ability to passively track submarines without revealing one’s position shifts the balance in undersea warfare…”
Last December, a study published in a Chinese engineering journal claimed that researchers were now able to track even the stealthiest US submarines by using airborne devices that could track the magnetic fields generated by a sub’s wake. The study pointed out that magnetic wakes cannot be silenced and leave a persistent wake.
