To counter the new hypersonic missiles, China has developed an early warning system based on Artificial Intelligence. The algorithm requires just fifteen seconds to predict the trajectory of missiles traveling at speeds of up to Mach 12.
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Hypersonic missiles are the latest advanced weapon developed by different countries. Russia said he used it to attack bases in Ukraine and, in May, United States announced that they had passed a test of their own hypersonic missile that exceeded Mach 5 and could theoretically reach Mach 20.
These weapons represent a real tactical advantage. Moving at least five times faster than sound, it is very difficult to detect them and predict their trajectory, making their interception almost impossible. According to South China Morning PostChina would have solved this problem thanks to Artificial Intelligence.
A forecast in just 15 seconds
In an article published in the Journal of Astronautics, the researchers used machine learning on data collected during early hypersonic flights to calculate the most likely trajectory. However, data from an early warning system contains a lot of noise. The researchers therefore created an algorithm fordeep learning which cleans the detected signals and focuses on the most recent data.
This system requires few resources and works with a simple laptop. It is able to estimate the trajectory of a hypersonic missile in just 15 seconds. According to the researchers’ simulations, the algorithm would remain effective for missiles up to Mach 12, i.e. 12 times the speed of sound. It remains to find the right way to intercept them. The armies are looking in particular at solutions based on lasers or of railgun. The Chinese Navy is said to have installed a cannon on its latest warships capable of firing 10,000 projectiles per minute along the planned trajectory.
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