China builds antenna station with area nearly 5 times larger than New York City
Ultra-low frequency radio antenna clusters help communicate with submarines from thousands of kilometers away but are harmful to human health.
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A Chinese submarine prepares to dive into the sea in 2017. Photo:SCMP |
China last week completed a project to build an antenna complex for earthquake warning and mineral detection after 13 years of construction. The station has an area nearly five times the size of New York City. However, many experts believe that this project can be used for military purposes, helping to communicate with strategic submarines far away while still keeping their movements secret, according toSCMP.
The location of the antenna complex is not announced, but some anonymous researchers revealed that it covers an area of 3,700 km2located in the central provinces of Hubei, Hunan and Henan. The project was carried out by the No. 724 Research Institute of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, a supplier of communications and electronic warfare equipment to the Chinese navy.
The antenna array can emit ultra-low frequency (ELF) radio waves in the 0.1-300 Hz range, far below the human hearing range. ELF wavelengths, thousands of kilometers long, allow data to be transmitted through the Earth's crust and ocean floor, where seawater often blocks conventional radio communications.
A researcher said the antenna complex could send messages to submarines 3,500 km away, equivalent to the distance from China to Guam Island, a strategic US air force base in the Pacific.
"This facility will be important if war breaks out. It allows Chinese submarines to maintain their ability to hide underwater, but is limited in data transmission speed and is not compatible with surface ships," said Chen Xiaobin, a researcher at the China Earthquake Administration.
However, this project has also encountered many objections due to concerns about the effects of ultra-low frequency radio waves. The World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed that ELF is likely to cause cancer in humans if exposed for a long time.
Before China, only Russia, the US and India possessed ELF submarine communication facilities, with Washington's antenna complexes operating at 76 Hz.
