China data link could offer faster coordination during hypersonic attacks

Source: interestingengineering
Author: @IntEngineering
Published: 8/23/2025
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Read original articleChina has developed a cutting-edge military communications network specifically designed to meet the extreme demands of hypersonic warfare, where vehicles travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5. Created by the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), this system achieves time synchronization accuracy within five nanoseconds—100 times more precise than NATO’s Link 16 network. It enables secure, real-time coordination among hypersonic vehicles, ground command posts, radar arrays, naval fleets, and satellite intelligence, addressing critical challenges posed by ultra-high speeds, rapidly changing trajectories, and the need for instantaneous battlefield decisions. This advancement marks a significant leap in military communications technology and creates a fully networked strike ecosystem, allowing multiple platforms to operate in seamless coordination.
Traditional synchronization methods, such as round-trip time (RTT) algorithms used in existing tactical data links, are inadequate for hypersonic speeds due to asymmetric transmission paths and rapid relative motion between platforms. To overcome these limitations, China’s new system employs an innovative inertial navigation data
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IoTmilitary-communicationshypersonic-technologyreal-time-coordinationdata-linknetwork-synchronizationdefense-technology