Introduction
Definition
Militarytechnology
Militarytechnologyisanimportantpartofmilitaryscience.ItconstitutesthecombateffectivenessofthearmyanddeterminestheoutcomeofwarTheimportantfactorofthecountry’smilitaryisalsooneoftheimportantindicatorsofacountry’smilitarystrength.Thedevelopmentofmilitarytechnologyisguidedbymilitarythinking,strategy,andtactics.Atthesametime,ithasamajorimpactonmilitarythinking,strategy,tactics,andevenarmybuilding.Militaryneedsarethedrivingforceforthedevelopmentofmilitarytechnology.
Inthefinalanalysis,thedevelopmentofmilitarytechnologydependsonthecountry’seconomicstatusandthelevelofscientificandtechnologicaldevelopment,thatis,itisrestrictedbyproductivity.Thelatestachievementsinscienceandtechnologyareoftenprioritizedformilitaryapplications,causingchangesinmilitarytechnology;andthedevelopmentofmilitarytechnologypromotesthedevelopmentofscienceandtechnologytoacertainextent.
Militarytechnologyisanimportantmaterialbasisforbuildingarmedforces,consolidatingnationaldefense,conductingwars,anddeterringwars,andisanimportantfactorinthemilitary'scombateffectiveness.Itmainlyincludes:variousweaponsandequipmentandthetechnicalbasictheoriesandbasictechnologiesinvolvedinthedevelopmentandproductionofweaponsandequipment;theapplicationtechnologyfortheeffectivenessofweaponsandequipment,andmilitaryengineeringandmilitarysystemsengineering.Weaponsandequipmentarethemainstayofmilitarytechnologyandaconcentratedexpressionofthelevelofmilitarytechnologydevelopment.Modernmilitarytechnologycanbedistinguishedbythetypesofweaponsandequipment:suchaslightweapons,artillery,tanks,ammunition,militaryaircraft,ships,missiles,nuclearweapons,chemicalweapons,biologicalweapons,threedefenseequipment,militaryradars,militaryopticalinstruments,militarycommunicationsequipment,Electroniccountermeasureequipment,andmilitarycommandautomationsystems;itcanalsobedistinguishedbyapplicationsindifferentservicesandarms:suchasnavaltechnology,airforcetechnology,strategicmissileforcetechnology,artilleryairdefensetechnology,armoredforcetechnology,etc.
Communicationtechnology
Inmodernwarfare,thecentralnervoussystemofmilitarycommunicationsisparticularlyprominent.Themoderncommunicationtechnologydevelopedonthebasisofmodernelectronictechnology,computertechnology,aerospacetechnologyandotherhigh-techfoundationsprovidesmoreeffectivecommunicationtoolsandmoreperfectcommunicationmeansformodernmilitarycommunication.Thereisnodoubtthatmilitarycommunicationstechnologyhasdevelopedconsiderablyafterthewar.
Let'stakealookattheserepresentativemoderncommunicationtechnologies:
Carriercommunication
AfterWorldWarII,militarywiredcommunicationThetechnologyhasmadeaseriesofmajoradvancements,includingtheprogram-controlledswitchingtechnologyproducedinthe1960s,amongwhichthemoreprominentarethecarriercommunicationandopticalfibercommunicationtechnology.
Carriercommunicationistousetheprincipleoffrequencydivisiontosimultaneouslytransmitmultipletelephonecommunicationsonapairoflines.Itsworkingprincipleis:eachtelephonesignalismodulatedtodifferentcarrierfrequenciesatthesendingend,andthefrequencyspectrumofeachvoicechannelisarrangedatdifferentfrequencypositions.Atthereceivingend,thereversedemodulationprocessiscarriedouttorestorethevoicechannelslocatedatdifferentfrequencypositionstothevoicespectrumtorealizecarriermulti-channelcommunication.Inadditiontothetransmissionoftelephonesignals,carriercommunicationcanalsobemultiplexedtwice,thatis,usingcarriervoicechannelstotransmittelegrams,faxes,data,andsoon.Carriercommunicationeffectivelyutilizeswiredcommunicationlines,expandsthecapacityofthechannel,andimprovesthetransmissionspeed.Whentheamountofmilitaryinformationcontinuestoincreaseandmilitarycommunicationrequireshighefficiencyandspeed,carriercommunicationisanexcellenttechnicalmeans.Carriercommunicationtechnologywasproducedintheearly20thcentury.Aftertheinventionofelectronictubesandfilters,technicalconditionswerecreatedfortherealizationofcarriertelephonecommunication.Atthesametime,theinventionofamplifiersandcoaxialcablesaddedwingstothedevelopmentofcarriercommunication.In1918,thefirstcarriertelephonecommunicationsystemwasopenedonthelinefromPittsburghtoBarrintheUnitedStates,with3telephonelinesperpair.By1938,aftercontinuousimprovement,12telephonelinescouldbecommunicated.Inthetwoworldwars,duetothelimitationsofwarconditions,thedevelopmentoflong-distancewiredcommunicationsintheparticipatingcountries(excepttheUnitedStates)wasveryslow.AtthebeginningoftheendofWorldWarII,countriesallestablishedlarge-scalemilitarylong-distancecarriercommunicationsystems.Thecommunicationcapacityhasgrownfromafewlinesoradozenlinesperpairtodozensorhundredsoflines.Intheearly1960s,carriercommunicationequipmententeredthestageofsemiconductorization.Intheearly1950s,monocrystallinesiliconpreparationtechnologyachievedbreakthroughdevelopment,andvarioustransistorelectroniccomponentswereborninthe1960s.Thebirthofsemiconductortransistorsisthesecondmajorbreakthroughofelectroniccomponents.Ithastheincomparableadvantagesofelectronictubes,suchassmallsize,lightweight,shockresistance,longlife,reliableperformance,andlowpowerconsumption.Ithaseffectivelypromotedthedevelopmentofelectronictechnology.Thesemiconductorizationofcarriercommunicationhasfurtherpromotedthedevelopmentofmilitarycarriertechnology.Bythe1970s,withthefurtherdevelopmentofsemiconductortechnologyandtheimprovementofcoaxialcablematerialsandperformance,10,800carriertelephonesystemswereputintouseinthemilitaryofsomecountries.
Opticalfibercommunication
Opticalfibercommunicationisanewtypeofcommunicationthatuseslaserasthecarrierandopticalfiberasthemediumtoimplementinformationtransmission.In1960,AmericanscientistMaymanmadetheworld'sfirstlaserwithruby,andlasertechnologycameout.Itsbasicworkingprincipleisthatbyapplyingenergytocertainsubstancesfromtheoutside,theelectronsarerapidlyenergized.Undertheexcitationofexternallight,theypassthroughthespecialdeviceoftheopticalresonatorintheformofphotons,andwaituntiltheenergyisamplifiedandemitted.Laserhasgoodcoherence,monochromaticityanddirectivity,andcanbetransmittedinatmosphericspace,cosmicspace,opticalwaveguide,opticalfiberandseawater,soitcanbeusedasasignalcarrierforcommunication.Becausethelaserbeamisverythin,hasexcellentdirectivity,andisinvisibletothehumaneye,theuseoflaserforcommunicationhasexcellentconfidentiality.Itisnoteasytobeinterceptedandinterferedbytheenemy,andisnotaffectedbythermonuclearradiation.Theemergenceoflasertechnologyhascreatedtechnicalconditionsforopticalfibercommunication.In1955,CapenettoftheUniversityofLondonputforwardthebasictheoryoffiberopticstechnologyinhisdoctoralthesis.In1970,Tyndallperformedthetransmissionoflightalongtheelectrolytetubeforthefirsttime.Theproposaloftheprincipleofopticalcommunicationandtheresearchonopticalfibershavestimulatedpeople'sinterestinusingopticalfibersforcommunication.However,itsrealrealizationdependsonthematurityoflasertechnology,opticalfiberpreparationandphotoelectricmodulationtechnology.In1970,Glassdevelopeda20db/kmlow-attenuationfiber,whichwasamajorbreakthroughinopticalfibercommunication.In1971,NipponDenstarCorporationproducedafiberwithadispersedrefractiveindex.In1976,anexperimentallightwavetransmissionsystem(usingglassopticalwaveguidestotransmitlightpulseinformationfromultra-smallsolid-statelasersandlight-emittingdiodes)wasdemonstratedinChicago,theUnitedStates.In1977,sometelephonecompaniesintheUnitedStatesandothercountriesestablishedexperimentalopticalfibersystems.Afterthe1980s,opticalfibercommunicationgraduallypenetratedintoland,sea,airandevenspaceweaponequipmentsystems,becominganimportantmeansofmodernmilitarycommunication.Armiesaroundtheworldhavereplacedtheoriginalmetalcableswithopticalfibers.TheU.S.AirForceLogisticsCommandhasestablishedthe"MilitaryBaseOpticalFiberCommunicationSystem",whichissaidtobethelargestopticalfibercommunicationnetworkofitskindintheworldsofar.Withthedevelopmentofopticalfibercommunicationtechnology,theapplicationofopticalfibercommunicationinmodernmilitarycommunicationswillbecomemoreextensive.
Scattercommunication
AftertheSecondWorldWar,militarywirelesscommunicationtechnologyhasalsomadegreatdevelopment,andtherehavebeenscatteringcommunication,wirelesslasercommunication,infraredNewformsofcommunicationsuchascommunications,mobilecommunications,andsatellitecommunications.
Scatteringcommunicationisanover-the-horizoncommunicationthatusesthenon-uniformityoftheair-bornecoaltoreflectelectromagneticwaves.Thetroposphere,ionosphereandmeteortrailsintheatmosphereallhavethecharacteristicofradiatingincidentelectromagneticwavesinmultipledirections.Usingthesecoalqualitiestotransmitelectromagneticwavespropagatinginthelineofsightbeyondthelineofsight,long-distancecommunicationcanbecarriedout.Troposphericscattercommunicationusesthereflectionofultrashortwavesormicrowavesinthetropospheretoimplementbeyond-horizoncommunication.Militarytroposphericscattercommunicationshavefixedandmobilecommunications.Meteortrailcommunicationistheuseofshort-termionizationtracescausedbyhigh-speedmovementthroughtheatmospheretocarryoutlong-distanceinstantaneouscommunicationonthereflectionorscatteringofradiowaves.Meteortrailcommunicationtransmissionislessaffectedbynuclearexplosionsandsolarflares.Theradiowavereflectionhasstrongdirectivity,goodconcealment,andthesignalisnoteasytobeintercepted.Itissuitableforlong-distanceandsmall-capacitymilitarycommunications.ThefirsttroposphericscattercommunicationlinewasestablishedintheUnitedStatesin1955,withatotallengthof2,600kilometers.Chinabeganresearchinthemid-1950sanddevelopedtroposphericscattercommunicationequipmentintheearly1960s.Inmilitarycommunications,becausescattercommunicationsaremorestablethanshort-waveradiocommunications,andcanbemultiplexed,noorfewerintermediatetransferstationscanbebuiltcomparedtomicrowaveandultrashort-waverelaycommunications,andtheyarenotsubjecttonaturalobstaclessuchasmountains,straits,andseaports.Becauseoftherestrictionofthezoneandtheareaoccupiedbytheenemy,aftertheSecondWorldWar,manycountrieshavevigorouslycarriedoutresearchanddevelopmentformilitarystrategiccommunicationsandtacticalcommunications.
Afterthe1960s,withthedevelopmentoflasertechnologyandmicroelectronicstechnology,atmosphericlasercommunicationandinfraredcommunicationappearedinmilitarywirelesscommunication.Atmosphericlasercommunicationusesatmosphericspaceasthetransmissionmediumoflasersignalstorealizeinformationtransmission.Whensendingaletter,thetransmittedsignalisconvertedintoalasersignalbyaninformationterminal,anopticalmodulatorandalaser,andthenthelasersignalisemittedthroughanopticaltransmittingantenna,andtransmittedtotheotherpartythroughatmosphericspace;whenreceivingaletter,theopticalreceivingantennatransmitsthelasersignalReceiveitandsendittothephotodetector,convertitintoanelectricsignaltotheinformationterminal,andtheinformationterminalconvertstheelectricsignalintotheoriginalvoiceorimageandotherinformation.Theadvantagesofatmosphericlasercommunicationarelargecommunicationcapacity,noelectromagneticinterference,strongconfidentiality,andlightequipment.However,thecommunicationdistanceisrelativelyshort,thereliabilityispoor,andrelativelysophisticatedequipmentisrequired,soitisgenerallythemostauxiliarycommunicationmeansinmilitarycommunication,whichisusedforshort-distancefixed-pointcommunicationsuchasborderposts,islands,andcrossingriversandcanyons.Infraredcommunicationisanopticalcommunicationmethodthatusesinfraredtotransmitinformation.Infraredisanelectromagneticwavethatcanbetransmittedinastraightlineintheatmosphericspacebutcannotbedetectedbythehumaneye.Theadvantagesofinfraredcommunicationare:infraredrayspropagatealongastraightline,havestrongdirectionality,arenoteasytobediscoveredbytheenemy,havegoodconfidentiality,arenotaffectedbyTiandianandotherelectromagneticwaves,havestronganti-interferenceperformance,simpleequipment,andlowcost.Themaindisadvantageisthatitisgreatlyaffectedbyterrain,weather,smokeanddust,andcanonlybeusedwithindirectviewingdistance.Itismostlyusedfortacticalcommunicationsinthemilitary.
Satellitecommunication
AfterWorldWarII,thegreatestachievementofmilitarywirelesscommunicationtechnologywastheemergenceanddevelopmentofmilitarysatellitecommunicationtechnology.In1945,ClarkoftheUnitedStatesproposedtheideaofusingsatellitesforcommunication.In1946,someoneusedaradartosendamicrowavesignaltothemoon.Asaresult,theechoreflectedfromthelunarsurfacewasaccuratelyreceived,whichtheoreticallyprovedthefeasibilityofusingsatellitesforradiocommunication.In1957,theSovietUnion'sfirstartificialearthsatellitewassuccessfullylaunched,pavingthewayfortheemergenceanddevelopmentofsatellitecommunicationtechnology.In1958,theUnitedStateslaunchedtheworld'sfirstexperimentalactivecommunicationssatellite.In1960,PierceandothersintheUnitedStatesrealizedforthefirsttimetheuseofanartificialearthsatelliteEcho-Iasaradioreflector.Echo-Iisapassivecommunicationsatellitethatreliesonreflectedelectricwavestocompletecommunication.Sincetheenergyoftheincidentwavecannotbereplenished,itisconsumedinthedistancefromthesatellitetotheearth,sothesignalreceivedonthegroundisveryweak,andeffectivecommunicationcanonlybeachievedafteramplification.Aftertwoyearsofhardwork,theuseofEcho-IforcommunicationsbetweenNorthAmericaandEuropewassuccessfulin1962.In1962,theUnitedStateslaunchedTelstar,thefirstactivecommunicationssatellite.Activecommunicationsatellitesareequippedwithreceiversandtransmitterstoreceiveandsendsignals.ThroughtheTelstarcommunicationsatellite,televisionandtelephonetransmissionacrosstheAtlanticOceanwasrealized.
Aftersatellitecommunicationtechnologycameintobeing,itwasimmediatelyusedformilitarypurposes.Intheearly1960s,theU.S.militarycommissionedWoodridgetodevelopa"defensecommunicationssatellite"andputitintouse.ItbecameasystemthatprovidedcommunicationlinesforvariousdepartmentsoftheU.S.DepartmentofDefenseanddirectlysupportedglobalmilitarycommunicationsandcommand.From1971totheendof1989,theUnitedStateslaunched16moreadvanced"NationalDefenseCommunicationsSatelliteIII."Atthesametime,theUnitedStateshasalsodevelopedcommunicationssatellitesusedbyvariousservicesandarms.From1978tothelate1980s,theUnitedStateslaunchedeightfleetcommunicationsatellitesdevelopedbyTRW.ThesystemismanagedbytheU.S.Navyandisusedbyabout800ships,100submarines,andhundredsofairforceaircraftandsomegroundterminals.In1976,theUnitedStatesbegantodeploytheAirForcecommunicationssatellitesystem.Itwasputintousein1979andbeganfull-scaleworkin1981.Thesystemconnectionsincludeearlywarningaircraft,reconnaissanceaircraft,strategicbombers,andintercontinentalmissilecommandpostsonthegroundandon-boardterminals.Afterthe1990s,theUnitedStateshasalsodevelopedandlaunchedanewgenerationofmilitarycommunicationssatellitestrategicandtacticalandrelaysatellites(MILSTAR)withstronganti-nuclearreinforcementandanti-jammingcapabilitiesthatcanensuresmoothcommunicationwithwarconditions.InadditiontotheUnitedStates,othercountriesandinternationalmilitaryorganizationsarealsovigorouslydevelopingmilitarysatellitecommunicationstechnology.NATOlaunchedthree"Nato"communicationsatellitesintheearly1970s;Francelaunched"Telecom-1A"and"Telecom-2B"intogeosynchronousorbitsin1984and1985respectively;Britainin1969and1970,1974and1988respectivelylaunchedthe"Skynet-1","Skynet-2"and"Skynet-4"militarycommunicationsatellites;theSovietarmylaunchedthe"Lightning-1"andmilitarycommunicationsatellitesin1965.Afterthe1970s,nearly50improved"Lightning-2"and"Lightning-3"satelliteswerelaunched;afterChinalaunchedthe"Dongfanghong"earthsatelliteinthe1960s,italsodevelopedmilitarysatellitecommunications.Theuseofartificialearthsatellitesformilitarycommunicationhastheadvantagesoflongcommunicationdistance,largetransmissioncapacity,highreliability,strongflexibility,andlowcost.Ithasbecomeanidealformofcontemporarymilitarycommunication.
AftertheSecondWorldWar,inthemilitaryradiocommunicationtechnology,themobilecommunicationtechnologyofautomatictransferwasalsodeveloped.Mobilecommunicationreferstothecommunicationbetweenthetwopartiesoroneofthepartiesinamovingstate,andthemobilestationtransfersthecommunicationthroughthefixedcommunicationstation.Themainequipmentusedformobilecommunicationisavarietyofportable,vehicle-mounted,andship-borneultrashortwaveradiostationsandshortwaveradiostations.Throughgroundradioequipmentandwiredtelephoneexchangecenterconnection,mobilephonescanalsocommunicatewithshort-distanceorlong-distancewiredtelephones.Peoplehavelonghopedforaportabletoolthatcan"freely"talk.Inthe1930s,asmall,light-weightelectronictubewalkie-talkieappeared,usingthesimplexwirelessphoneworkingmethod.Althoughthewalkie-talkietechnologyhasdevelopedlater,duetothelowtransmissionpower,theshorttransmissiondistance,andthesimplexmethod,itisnotobedientwhensendingflowers,anditisnotconvenienttouse.Afterthe1960s,withthedevelopmentofmicroelectronicstechnologyandprogram-controlledswitchingtechnology,smallradiostationscantransmithigher-powersignals,andfixedcommunicationstationscanconnecttoanyuserinthecoverageareathroughprogram-controlledswitches.Somobilecommunicationtechnologyhasdevelopedrapidly.Mobilecommunicationsareflexible,convenientandrapid,andfacilitatethemilitary’stimelyimplementationofcombatcommandsduringmaneuvers,enablingthenavy,army,andairforcestocloselycooperateandcoordinateoperationsincomplexsituations,andplayanimportantroleinensuringoperationsundermodernconditions.
Technologydevelopment
Asauniquecommunicationdeviceinmilitarycommunications,militaryfieldradioshavedevelopedrapidlyafterWorldWarII.Inthe1950s,thesingle-sidebandtechnologyofmilitaryfieldradioreceivedwidespreadapplicationanddevelopment.Theso-calledsingle-sidebandcommunicationisradiocommunicationinwhichoneofthetwosidebandsoftheamplitudemodulationsignalissentandreceived.Whenasingle-sidebandradiotransmitsavoicesignal,thevoicesignalandthehigh-stabilitylow-carrierfrequencysignalgeneratedbythefrequencysynthesizerareloadedonthehigh-frequencysignalofthetransmitter,andthemodulatorgeneratestheupperandlowercarrierfrequencies.,Andthenfilteroutacertainsidebandbyafilter,andonlyloadthesignaloftheothersidebandtoahigherworkingfrequency,andamplifyit,andsendittotheantennafortransmission.Thereceivermovestheradiofrequencysingle-sidebandsignalreceivedbytheantennabacktoalowerfrequency,amplifiesit,andsendsittothesingle-sidebanddemodulator.Thelowcarrierfrequencysignalisaddedtothedemodulatortorestoretheoriginalvoicesignal..Single-sidebandtechnologywasinventedin1915,atransatlanticcommunicationexperimentwasconductedin1923,anditwasadoptedbymostocean-goingcommunicationsafter1933.In1954,single-sidebandradiosdevelopedrapidlyinmilitaryradiocommunicationsystems,replacingordinaryAMradios.Inthe1950s,mostcountries,especiallydevelopedcountries,generallyusedsingle-sidebandtacticalradiostations.TheU.S.militaryusesbothdesktopandvehicle-mountedsingle-sidebandradiostations,whichcancommunicate16channels,2channels,and1fax.Thepoweris10kilowatts.
Afterthe1960s,withtheemergenceanddevelopmentofsemiconductortechnology,transistorsreplacedelectrontubesinmilitaryfieldradios,andalargenumberofintegratedcircuitsandlarge-scaleintegratedcircuitswereusedafterthe1970s.Militaryfieldradiosaredevelopingtowardstheminiaturizationoftransistors,furtherreducingthesizeandweight,andimprovingthecommunicationcapacityandreliability.Inthe1950s,thebattalioncompanywasequippedwithatube-typeAN/PRC-1radio.Intheearly1960s,itwasequippedwithAN/PRC-25radiosthatwerealltransistorsexceptforthefinalstage.Inthelate1960s,theywereequippedwithall-transistorradios.TheAN/PRC-77radiowasequippedwithamicro-moduleAN/PRC-99radiointhe1970s.Afterupgrading,thenumberofradiochannelshasbeenincreasing,thechannelspacinghasbeenfurthershortened,thecommunicationdistancehasbeenextended,theweighthasbeenreduced,andthedegreeofintegrationhasincreased.TheintegrationlevelofproductsdevelopedbytheUSmilitaryintheearly1980shasreached20%-40%,andbythelate1980s,ithasreachedmorethan90%.Thetransmissionpowerisintheorderof20kilowatts,theweightisabout4kg,andthereliabilityis10%higherthansimilarradiostations.Times.
Whileusingtransistors,integratedcircuits,andlarge-scaleintegratedcircuits,militaryfieldradiosinthe1960sand1970srealizedmulti-band,multi-work,andmulti-purpose,sothatvariousarmscancooperateandreduceaircrafttypes.,Realizeonemachinewithmultiplefunctions.Afterthe1980s,therehavebeentwomajortrendsinthedevelopmentofmilitaryfieldradiostationsinvariouscountries.Oneisthetransitionfromanalogtoanalog-digitalcompatibilityandfulldigitalization,usingdigitalcomputinganddigitalprocessingtechnology.Theintroductionofdigitaltechnologyintocommunicationequipmentisanewtrendinmilitarycommunicationtechnologyinthe1980s.Digitalcircuitswithgoodperformancehavegraduallyreplacedtraditionalanalogcircuits,andalargenumberofdigitaldevices(digitalmixers,digitalfrequencysynthesizers,digitalfilters,digitaloscillators,etc.)areusedinmilitarycommunicationsequipment.Somedevelopedcountrieshavegraduallyadoptedmicroprocessorsinfieldradios.Itiscomposedofoneorseverallarge-scaleintegratedcircuits,includingtechnicallogiccomponents,instructionprocessingcomponents,andcontrollersthatcontrolstorageorcomputing,andhavecomputingandcontrolfunctions.Onthebasisofthedevelopmentofdigitalprocessingtechnologyandmicrocomputertechnology,thesecuritytechnologyoffieldradiohasalsobeendeveloped,especiallytheuseofsignalcompressiontechnologyanddigitalencryptiontechnology,sothattheprobabilityofwirelesscommunicationsignalsbeinginterceptedanddecipheredisgreatlyreduced.Thesignalsentbysignalcompressiontechnologyisextremelyshort-lived,makingitdifficultforpeopletointercept,evenifitisintercepted,itisdifficulttodecipher.Thedigitalsecuritytechnologycanmakethenumberofkeysverylarge,makingitdifficultforpeopletodecipher.Thesecondistouseanti-jammingtechnologiessuchasfrequencyhoppingtechnology.Frequencyhoppingtechnologyistheworkingfrequencyofreceivingandsendingdualgenerators,andsynchronouslyandrapidlyhoppingwithinacertainfrequencyrangeinapredeterminedsequence.Earlyradiooperatorsusedatimetabletousetheworkingfrequency,whilethefrequencyhoppingseriesusedacodesequencetodeterminewhatfrequencyshouldbeusedataparticulartime.Theworkingfrequencycouldhopdozensoftimesandseveraltimespersecond.Ahundredtimesormore,thefrequencyrangeofthejumpcanbeaswideastensofmegahertz.Thesignaltransmittedinthiswayisnoteasytobeinterferedbytheenemy,anditisthemainmeasureofanti-interferenceinmilitarycommunications.GermanydevelopedtheCHX200mobileandfixedhighfrequencyhoppingradiosystemin1981,anddevelopedtheSEM172VHFhoppingradioin1983;theUnitedStatesdevelopedthebackpackAN/PRC-117IFhoppingradioin1982;SwedendevelopedaVHFfrequencyhoppingradioin1985;Britainalsodevelopeda150serieshighfrequencyhoppingradiointhe1980sforthemilitaryequipmentofthiscountry,Belgiumandmanyothercountries.Mostofthesefrequencyhoppingradiostationsarecontrolledbyamicrocomputer,whichcanautomaticallysearchforchannels,automaticallyfrequencyconversion,andhaveverygoodanti-interferenceandconfidentialityperformance.
Developmentprocess
Coldweapons
Thecoldweaponserareferstothelonghistoricalperiodbeforetheuseofstoneweapons,copperweaponsandironweaponsuntiltheemergenceoffirearms.
AsearlyastheStoneAge,humanslearnedtomakestoneknives,stoneaxesandbowsandarrowsastoolsforhuntingandprimitiveagriculturalproduction.Thetoolsusedinearlyclanwarswerethesesimpleproductiontools.Inthelateprimitivesociety,weaponsweregraduallyseparatedfromhuntingandagriculturalproductiontools.
Theemergenceofmetallurgicaltechnologyhasrevolutionizedweapons.Stoneweaponsaregraduallyreplacedbycopperandironweapons,resultinginmetalknives,swords,spearsandotherweapons.AsChina'smetallurgicaltechnologyappearedearlieranddevelopedrapidly,duringtheSpringandAutumnPeriodandWarringStatesPeriod(770-221BC),themanufactureofmetalweaponswasalreadyintheadvancedpositionintheworld.
Thedevelopmentofoffensiveweaponshasledtotheappearanceofcorrespondingprotectiveequipmentsuchashelmets,armors,cuffs,andshields.Technologiessuchasfortificationandbarrierconstructionhavealsodeveloped.TheGreatWallofChinaisamilitaryfortificationfamousinancientandmoderntimesathomeandabroad.
Coldweaponscanbedividedintohand-heldweapons(knives,spears,swords,etc.)andprojectedweapons(bows,arrows,crossbows,andstonethrowers,etc.),whosefunctionistodirectlyextendorstrengthenaperson’sarm,Relyonhumanphysicalstrengthtooperate.Thisdeterminedthatthemethodofcombatatthattimecouldonlybegroupformations,hand-to-handcontact,andcommandbyaudio-visualsignalssuchasflagwaving,goldringing,drumming,andfireraising.
Ancientchariotplayedanimportantroleinwars.FromthebeginningofsummerinChina(aboutthe21stcenturyBC,inotherwords,the22ndcenturyBC)totheSpringandAutumnPeriod(770-475BC),battlesweremainlycarriedoutintheformofvehiclewarfarecombinedwithacombinationofvehicleandfootsteps.DuringtheWarringStatesPeriod(475BCto221BC),chariotwarfarewasgraduallyreplacedbyfootwarfare,andthenomadicpeoplesofnorthernChinamainlyusedhorsewarfare.IntheHanDynasty(206BCto220AD),infantryandcavalrybecamethebasicforcesoflandwarfare.Theinventionofsaddles,stirrupsandtheadoptionofvestsimprovedthecombatcapabilityofthecavalry.
Withtheadvancementofshipbuildingtechnology,theoriginalcanoesdevelopedintoplankpaddleboatsandgraduallyusedinthemilitary,divergingintowarshipsdedicatedtowaterwarfare.DuringtheSpringandAutumnPeriodandWarringStatesPeriodinChina,warshipshadashapethatcouldmeettheneedsofcombat.DuringtheQinandHanDynasties(221BCto220AD),largesailingwarshipsrepresentedbyLouChuanwereproduced.IntheTangDynasty(618-907),wheelshipswereinvented(seeAncientChineseWarships).
Intheeraofcoldweapons,duetothelowlevelofproduction,thedevelopmentofscienceandtechnologyisslow,andthedevelopmentofmilitarytechnologyisalsoslow.
FirearmAge
Thefirearmagecanbedividedintotwoperiods:ancientfirearmsandmodernfirearms.
Theancientfirearmperiod(fromtheappearanceoffirearmstotheindustrialrevolution)TheinventionofgunpowderandtheappearanceoffirearmsAtleastbefore808AD,Chinesealchemistsinventedgunpowder.Atthebeginningofthe10thcentury,ChinabegantousegunpowderinthemilitaryattheendoftheTangDynasty,markingthatmilitarytechnologyhasenteredaneweraofusingchemicalenergy.IntheSongDynasty(960to1279),inflammablefirearms,explosivefirearmsandtubularfirearmsappeared,androcketsthatusedgunpowdertoburnjetpropulsionwerealsoinvented.Theinventionofthetube-shapedfirearmwasagreatadvanceinthehistoryoffirearms.ThemostfamousisthelongbamboopolemusketthatwasmadebytheoldruleofEmperorGaozongoftheSongDynastyinShaoxing2ndyear(1132).InthefirstyearofEmperorLizongoftheSongDynasty(1259),theShouchunMansion(nowShouxianCounty,Anhui)wasmadeintoablastinggunthatfiredbullets(projectiles).Shortlythereafter,afirecrackerofmetalcastingappeared.IntheYuanDynasty(1279～1368)andMingDynasty(1368～1644),firecrackers(seeancientChineseweapons)weremanufacturedandusedinlargequantities.IntheeighthyearofYongleintheMingDynasty(1410),theworld'sfirstmilitaryspecializedingunswascreated.──Shenjiying.
ThedevelopmentofgunsThegunpowderandfirearmsinventedinChinawereintroducedtoArabcountriesandEuropeinthe12thto13thcenturiesthroughmerchantsandtheMongolianarmy.ThefirstartilleryinEuropewasmadeofwroughtironbarsweldedsidebysideintocylindersandironhoops.Inthe15thcentury,abronzecannonwithabodyandachambermadeofone-piececastingappeared.Thegunmountandsightingdevicewereinstalledonthecannon,andcastironbulletswereusedinsteadofstoneandleadbullets.Inordertoimprovemaneuverability,wheeledartilleryappeared,andgranulargunpowderwasused.Inthesecondhalfofthe16thcenturyandthefirsthalfofthe17thcentury,theSpanishwaragainsttheNetherlandsandtheThirtyYearsWarinEuropefurtherpromotedthedevelopmentofartillery.Inabout1600,thebulkgunpowderbegantobereplacedwithquantitativecartridges,andshotgunsappeared,whichimprovedthefiringspeed,accuracyandpoweroftheartillery.
Attheendofthe14thcentury,front-loadedmusketsappearedinEurope.Thechargingprocessofthiskindofguniscomplicated.Whenlaunching,onepersonneedstoaimandonepersontoignite,andtheshootingspeedandaccuracyareverylow.Bythe15thcentury,matchlockgunsappeared,whichusedhingedleverstoclampthematchlock.Whenthetriggerwaspulled,thematchlockdroppedandignitedthedetonatorinthefiredoor,thusovercomingthedifficultyofindividualsoldiersaimingandigniting.Thiskindofgunhasamaximumrangeofabout300metersandaneffectiverangeofabout100meters.Itonlytakes2minutestofireashot,butitiseasytoexposethetargetatnightandcannotbeusedinrainydays.Inthemiddleofthe17thcentury,aflintlockgunappearedinFrance,overcomingtheshortcomingsofthematchlockgun,andthefiringspeedreached2roundsperminute.Inthe18thcentury,acurvedbuttwasusedinsteadofastraightbutt,andtheriflewasfurtherimproved,whichmadeiteasierfortheshootertoaimandconceal,andgreatlyimprovedthecombateffectiveness.
Withthedevelopmentofguns,infantrywithriflesasthemainweaponhasgraduallybecomethebasicforceofthearmedforcesofvariouscountries,andindependentartilleryhasemergedatthesametime.Themodeofcombathasgraduallytransitionedfromhand-to-handcombatinthecoldweaponeratofirepower.
Militarydevelopment
Afterthe15thcentury,astheperformanceofgunsimproved,theancientcastlescouldhardlywithstandthebombardmentofartillery,andsoldierarmorcouldnotdefendagainstbullets.Shooting,heavyartilleryandbaggageputhigherdemandsonroadsandbridges.Gunpowderiswidelyusedinblasting,andlandminesareusedinactualcombat.Thesechangeshavepromptedmilitaryengineeringtoenteranewperiodofdevelopment.Thecitywall-towersystembegantoevolveintotheartillery-typefortressfortificationsystem;fieldfortificationplayedanincreasinglyimportantroleinthewar;engineeringtechnologiessuchasblasting,roadconstruction,andbridgeerectionalsodevelopedrapidly.Inthe16thcentury,professionalbridgingandroadconstructionteamsappearedinthearmiesofEuropeancountries.Inthe17thcentury,anewspecializedandtechnicalarmsappearedinFrance-Engineers.Inthe18thcentury,Francesuccessivelyestablishedabridgeandhighwayschoolandacomprehensivetechnicalschooltotrainmilitaryengineers,whichwaslaterimitatedbyothercountriesandpromotedthedevelopmentofmilitaryengineering.
WeaponRevolution
Beforethe11thcentury,thecompassinventedbyChinawasinstalledonships,andtherangeofmaritimeforcescontinuedtoexpand.Theapplicationoffirearmstoshipshasbroughtaboutgreatchangesinshipweaponsandwaterwarfaremethods.Inthe16thcentury,artilleryhadbecomethemainweaponofships.Thewayofnavalwarfarealsograduallytransitionedfromside-to-sidewarfaretoside-to-sideartillerywarfare.Inthe17thcentury,navalguntacticshavebecomethemainmethodofnavalwarfare.
Developmentcharacteristics
Militarytechnologyhasenteredaneweraofusingchemicalenergy.Significantchangeshavetakenplaceinweaponryandmilitaryengineering.However,duetothefactthatcountriesintheworldwerebasicallyinfeudalsocietyduringthisperiod,productionremainedinthehandicraftindustry,andthedevelopmentofscienceandtechnologywasslow,andthereforethedevelopmentofmilitarytechnologywasalsoslow.Inthe700yearsaftertheappearanceoffirearms,coldweaponsstillplayedanimportantroleinthewar.Itwasnotuntiltheinventionofthebayonetinthemiddleofthe17thcenturythatothercoldweaponsweregraduallyeliminated.
ModernFirearmsPeriod(IndustrialRevolutiontotheendofWorldWarII)Therapiddevelopmentofcapitalistproductionmethodspromotedtheriseofmodernnaturalsciences.Theinventionofthesteamengine,thedevelopmentofmetallurgy,chemistry,machinerymanufacturingandotherindustrieshavepreparedmaterialconditionsforthedevelopmentofmodernmilitarytechnology,andhasenteredanewperiodofvigorousdevelopment.
Improvementstoguns
Inthe19thcentury,aseriesofmajorimprovementsoccurredinthedesignofguns:thebarrelwaschangedfromsmoothrifledtorifled,whichincreasedtherangeandimprovedtheaccuracyofhitting;Thebulletmethodwaschangedfromfrontloadingtorearloading,whichwasconvenientforuseandincreasedtherateoffire;theprojectilesdevelopedfromsphericalsolidbulletstofixed-loadedbulletsandartilleryshellsequippedwithwarheads,propellantsandpre-loadedprimers,andthefiringneedlegunappeared.gun.Theartilleryadoptsaflexibleframe,whichreducestheweightandimprovesthemobilityandfiringrate.Inthe1860s,intheAmericanCivilWar,the"Gatling"gunwithhand-operatedcontinuousloadingandfiringappeared.In1883,theAmericanH.S.Maximinventedamachinegunpropelledbygunpowdergas,creatingthehistoryofautomaticloadingofguns.Sincethen,machineguns,automaticriflesandsubmachinegunsofvariousstructureshavebeenpublished.In1884,FrenchscientistP.-M.-E.VieilleandSwedishchemistA.B.Nobelsuccessivelydevelopedsingle-baseanddouble-basesmokelesspowders,promptingnewimprovementsinthestructureandperformanceofguns.Atthebeginningofthe20thcentury,TNTexplosivesappeared,whichgreatlyincreasedthedamageanddestructionpowerofshellsandotherexplosivedevices.
Mechanization
DuringtheFirstWorldWar,inordertoeffectivelybreakthroughthedefensivepositionscomposedoftrenches,barbedwireandmachinegunfirepower,Britain,Franceandothercountriesbegantodevelopfirepower,armorAnewweaponthatcombinesprotectionandmaneuverabilityintoone─tank.InSeptember1916,theBritishsuccessfullydevelopedtankwasusedforthefirsttimeintheBattleoftheSommeinFrance.Atthattime,thesmallnumberoftanks,slowspeed,shorttravel,andmanymechanicalfailuresonlyplayedacertainroleinsomeareas,buttheypromotedthedevelopmentofarmymechanization.Inthelate1930s,thearmiesofsomemajorindustrialcountriesbegantoimplementtank-basedmechanization.DuringtheSecondWorldWar,theSoviet,German,British,andAmericanarmieswereequippedwithalargenumberoftanks,self-propelledartillery,andvariouscombatsupportvehicles.Theseweaponsandequipmentplayedanimportantroleinthewar.Atthesametime,countriesareactivelyseekingwaystodealwithtanks.Atfirst,curvedfireartillerywasusedtohitthetank.AttheendoftheFirstWorldWar,anti-tankminesandanti-tankgunsappeared.Inthe1920s,anti-tankgunsappeared.DuringtheSecondWorldWar,withthecontinuousenhancementoftankarmorprotection,thecaliberofanti-tankgunscontinuedtoincrease,andblunt-headedarmor-piercingprojectiles,tungstencorespeedingarmor-piercingprojectilesandhollow-chargedarmor-piercingprojectileswerewidelyused,greatlyimprovingtheanti-tankThecombateffectivenessofweaponshaslaunchedafierceconfrontationbetweentanksandtanks,andtanksandanti-tankweapons.Thousandsoftankshaveparticipatedinlarge-scalebattlesonmanyoccasions.
Three-dimensionalwarfare
Mankindhastheidealofflyingforalongtime,andhasmadecountlessattempts,butitcanonlyberealizedundertheconditionsofrapiddevelopmentofmodernscienceandtechnology.In1903,theAmericanWrightbrotherssuccessfullyflewthefirstself-madepoweredairplane,whichattractedtheattentionofmilitaryexperts.TheUnitedStates,Britain,France,Germany,Italyandothercountrieshavesuccessivelybeguntodevelopmilitaryaircraft,whichwereinitiallyusedtoperformreconnaissancemissionsandlateralsousedtobombgroundtargetsandexpeltheother'sreconnaissanceaircraft.Theemergenceofmilitaryaircrafthasextendedthescopeofwartotheair(groundandabovethewater),formingathree-dimensionalwarthatincludesairspace.InthelatterpartoftheFirstWorldWar,aircrafthadbecomeanimportantweapon,withreconnaissanceplanes,bombers,fighterplanesandassaultplanes.DuringtheSecondWorldWar,thewarringpartieswereequippedwithalargenumberofaircraftofvarioustypes,andcoordinatedwithgroundforcesorfleetstoconductlarge-scaleoperationstobombtheenemy'spolitical,economic,andmilitarystrategictargets,andachievedgreatresults.Atthesametime,withthedevelopmentofmilitarytransportaircraft,large-scaleairliftandairborneoperationsbegantoappear.Inthewar,thetacticalandtechnicalperformanceofvariousaircraftcontinuedtoimprove,andjetaircraftappearedinthelaterpartofthewar.Aftertheaircraftwasusedinthemilitary,anti-aircraftweaponsdeveloped.IntheFirstWorldWar,allthemajorparticipatingcountrieswereequippedwithanti-aircraftgunsandanti-aircraftmachineguns,buttheobservationequipmentwassimpleandtheshootingaccuracywaslow.ItwasnotuntilWorldWarIIthatmoreadvancedobservation,aiming,andcommandequipmentwereused,especiallyaftertheuseofradar-basedairdefenseweaponsystemsandtheuseofradioproximityfuzes,theairdefensecapabilitiesweresignificantlyimproved.
Shipdevelopment
Intheearly19thcentury,steamengineswereusedinpaddlesteamers.Afterthepropellerpropellerwasinventedinthe1840s,steam-poweredwarshipsdevelopedrapidlyandbegantousearmoredprotection,andarmoredshipsappeared.Atthebeginningofthe20thcentury,steamturbinesforshipsweremadetoprovidepowerfulpowerforwarships.Modernbattleshipsandcruisersappeared,and"giantshipartillerydoctrine"becamepopular.DuringtheSecondWorldWar,duetothewidespreaduseofnavalaviationandsubmarines,battleshipsdeclineddaybyday,andaircraftcarriersreceivedattentionandbecamethemainforceinnavalbattles.Theaircraftcarriercloselyintegratedairpowerandseapower,changedthetraditionalnavalwarfare,andplayedanimportantroleinWorldWarII.Theinventionofthesubmarinewasanimportanteventinmilitarytechnologyinthemodernfirearmsperiod.Asearlyas1775,AmericaninventorD.Bushnellmadea"turtleboat"thatcoulddiveunderwaterandwaspropelledbyahand-operatedpropeller.DuringtheAmericanCivilWar(1861-1865),steam-poweredsubmarinesappeared.However,itwasonlyinthe1890sthatFranceadoptedbatteryelectricmotorsforpower,thatdual-propulsionpowersystemsubmarinesbegantodevelop.Theemergenceofsubmarinesextendedthescopeofnavalbattlestounderwater,formingathree-dimensionalwarfareinthewaters.Thebiggestadvantageofthesubmarineisitsgoodconcealmentandgreatassaultpower.Itplayedapowerfulroleinthetwoworldwars,especiallyinthesecondworldwar.Withthedevelopmentofsurfacecombatshipsandsubmarines,underwaterweaponsandanti-shipandanti-submarinetechnicalequipmenthaveemergedoneafteranother.Mines,torpedoes,depthchargesandsonars,andmagneticdetectorshaveemerged.
Biologicalweapons
Toxicagentsbecomespecialweapons,whichappearedwiththedevelopmentofmodernchemistryandchemicalindustry.IntheFirstWorldWar,theGermanarmyfirstusedalargeamountofpoisongasintheSecondBattleofYpres,breakingthroughtheBritishandFrenchcoalitionpositionsinonefellswoop.Sincethen,manycountrieshavecompetedinthedevelopmentanduseofchemicalweapons,andstartedacompetitionbetweenchemicalweaponsandchemicaldefenseequipment.TheuseofbiologicalweaponsbeganintheFirstWorldWar,butalargenumberofbiologicalweaponsweredevelopedonlyaftertheestablishmentofimmunologyandmicrobiologyinthe1930s.In1931,theJapaneseinvadersformedabacterialwarfareresearchunitnearHarbin,ChinaunderthenameoftheKwantungArmyEpidemicPreventionandWaterSupplyDepartment,anddroppedbacterialbombsinmanyplacesinChinafrom1939to1942.Later,theUnitedStatesalsousedbiologicalweaponsintheKoreanWarandtheVietnamWar.Chemicalandbiologicalweaponsareinhumaneweaponsofmassdestruction.AfterthefoundingofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,theChinesegovernmenthasconsistentlyopposedtheuseofsuchweaponsandadvocatedthecompleteprohibitionandthoroughdestructionofchemicalandbiologicalweapons.
ElectronicWarfare
Fromthe1840stotheendofthe19thcentury,AmericaninventorsSFBMorseandAGBell,RussianphysicistACPopov,andItalianphysicistG.Marconiinventedwiretelegraph,telephoneandwirelesstelegraphoneafteranother,whichrealizedtherapidtransmissionofinformationoverlongdistancesandcausedarevolutionincommunicationtechnology.Theapplicationoftheseachievementsinthemilitaryhasfundamentallychangedthewaythemilitarycommandandcommunicationarecommunicated,makingitpossibletoquicklyandeffectivelyorganizeandcommandlarge-scaleoperationsinalargearea.AftertheBritishinventedradarinthe1930s,radiotechnologywasfurtherappliedtoreconnaissance,surveillance,tracking,andnavigation,whichgreatlyimprovedthecombateffectivenessofthearmy.Atthesametime,theuseofelectromagneticwavesforreconnaissanceandanti-reconnaissance,interferenceandanti-jammingstruggleshavealsodevelopedrapidly,andanewcombatfieldhasgraduallyformed-electronicwarfare,orelectroniccountermeasures.
ThecharacteristicsofthedevelopmentofmilitarytechnologyinthemodernfirearmsperiodThemodernfirearmsperiodwastheperiodwhenEuropeancapitalismdevelopedrapidlyandenteredtheimperialiststage.Duringthisperiod,scienceandtechnologyandproductiveforcesdevelopedrapidly,experiencedtwoworldwars,andmilitarytechnologydevelopedrapidly.Themainweaponsandequipmenthavegraduallyrealizedmechanization,standardization,andserialization.Thecombatrangeextendsfromthegroundandwatertotheairandunderwater,andhasopenedupaninvisibleelectroniccountermeasurebattlefield.Thecombatmethodhasdevelopedintocontractoperationsofvariousservicesandarms.
Nuclearweapons
FromtheendofWorldWarII,themilitaryapplicationofmodernscienceandtechnologywithnuclearenergy,electroniccomputersandaerospacetechnologyasimportantsymbolshasbroughtthedevelopmentofmilitarytechnologyintoAbrandneweraisusuallycalledthenucleareraorthenuclearera.Themilitarytechnologyofthiseraiscalledmodernmilitarytechnology.
Theemergenceoftheatomicbomb
People'sresearchonthenucleusbeganattheendofthe19thcentury.Inearly1939,GermanchemistsO.HahnandF.Strassmanndiscoveredthefissionphenomenonofbombardinguraniumnucleiwithneutrons.Then,theFrenchphysicistJ.-F.Joliot-Curieandothersdiscoveredthateverynuclearfissionreleases2to3neutrons,thusconfirmingtheuseofheavyatomnuclearfissionchainreactiontomakeanatomicbombwithunprecedentedpower.Thepossibility.InOctoberofthesameyear,theUSgovernmentdecidedtodevelopanatomicbombbasedonthesuggestionofphysicistA.Einstein.In1942,thehugeprojectcode-named"ManhattanEngineeringDistrict"begantobeimplemented.OnJuly16,1945,thefirstatomicbombwassuccessfullytested,withanequivalentofabout20,000tonsofTNT.OnAugust6and9ofthesameyear,theUnitedStatesdroppedtwoatomicbombsonJapan'sHiroshimaandNagasaki,causingabout200,000casualties.Afterthewar,theSovietUnionacceleratedthedevelopmentoftheatomicbombandexplodedthefirstatomicbombonAugust29,1949.Sincethen,Britainin1952,Francein1960,andChinain1964havealsosuccessfullydevelopedatomicbombs.Theemergenceoftheatomicbombmarkedanewerainwhichmilitarytechnologyhasmovedfromtheuseofchemicalenergytotheuseofnuclearenergy.Comparedwithordinaryexplosiveweapons,theatomicbombhasanunprecedentedincreaseinpower,andhasmultiplekillinganddestructiveeffectssuchasshockwaves,opticalradiation,earlynuclearradiation,radioactivecontamination,andnuclearelectromagneticpulses.Theatomicbombandthesubsequenthydrogenbombsandneutronbombshavehadahugeimpactonthedevelopmentofmodernmilitarythinking,armyandnationaldefenseconstruction,strategyandtactics,andotherweaponsandequipment.
Hydrogenbombsandneutronbombs
Intheprocessofdevelopingatomicbombs,theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionhavebeguntostudytheuseoflightnuclearfusionreactionstocreatemorepowerfulhydrogenbombs.InNovember1952,theUnitedStatesconductedaprincipletestofahydrogenbombchargedwithliquiddeuterium,withanequivalentofabout10milliontonsofTNT,buttheexperimentaldevicewasveryheavyandcouldnotbeusedasaweapon.Then,inAugust1953,theSovietUnionconductedahydrogenbombtestchargedwithsolidlithiumdeuteride6,makingthepracticaluseofthehydrogenbombpossible.TheUnitedStatesconductedasimilarhydrogenbombtestinFebruary1954.AftertheSovietUnionandtheUnitedStatessuccessfullydevelopedhydrogenbombs,theUnitedKingdomsuccessivelydevelopedhydrogenbombsin1957,Chinain1967,andFrancein1968.
Atomicbombsandhydrogenbombsarebothmanufacturedbyusingtheprincipleofnuclearreactionstoreleasehugeamountsofenergy,andarecollectivelyreferredtoasnuclearweapons.Accordingtothemethodofuse,therearenuclearaerialbombs,nuclearmissiles,nuclearartilleryshells,nuclearlandmines,nucleartorpedoesandnuclearmines.Afterthe1960s,theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUniondevelopedsecond-generationnuclearweaponswithgreaterpower,reliability,andsafety.Inthelate1970s,researchbeganonthird-generationnuclearweaponsthatenhancedorweakenedacertainnuclearexplosioneffectbasedonthenatureofthetargetandoperationalrequirements.In1977,theUnitedStatesannouncedthesuccessfuldevelopmentofneutronbombs(alsoknownasenhancedradiationbombs)thatbelongedtothiscategory.Inaddition,thereareshockwavebombs,inducedradiationbombs,electromagneticpulsebombs,etc.underresearch.
Deliveryvehicles
Strategicbombers
Thefirsttobeusedasnuclearweaponsdeliveryvehicleswasthestrategicbombers.InMarch1946,theUnitedStatesestablishedastrategicairforcecomposedofB-17andB-29mediumandlong-rangebombers.Sincethen,withthedevelopmentofaviationtechnology,theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionhavesuccessivelyequippedtroopswithlonger-rangestrategicbombers,suchastheU.S.B-52andtheSovietUnion’sTu-20,withamaximumrangeofmorethan10,000kilometers.Bythe1970s,theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionhadsuccessfullydevelopedtheB-1andTu-22M"Backfire"strategicbombers,respectively.Thistypeofaircrafthasalighterstructureandgoodmaneuverability.Itadoptsvariablesweptwingsandamaximumflightspeedof2timesthespeedofsound(М2.0).Itcanflyathighaltitudesatsupersonicspeedsandpenetratedefensesatlowaltitudesandhighsubsonicspeeds.
Missilenuclearweapons
AsearlyasWorldWarII,FascistGermanysuccessfullydevelopedV-1cruisemissilesandV-2ballisticmissiles,andItwasputintouseattheendofthewar.However,duetotheuseofconventionalexplosivesforthewarhead,itspowerisrelativelysmall,anditsguidanceaccuracyispoor,soitdidnotplayasignificantroleinthewar.Afterthewar,theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionbegantodevelopmediumandlong-rangecruisemissilesandballisticmissileswithnuclearwarheadsbasedontheV-1andV-2missiles.Atthattime,cruisemissileshadthedisadvantagesoflowflightspeed,largeguidanceerrors,andeasyinterceptionbytheopponent.Afterthemid-1950s,thefocuswasonthedevelopmentofballisticmissiles.InAugust1957,theSovietUnionsuccessfullylaunchedanintercontinentalballisticmissileforthefirsttime.InNovember1958,theUSintercontinentalballisticmissilewasalsosuccessfullylaunched.Thecombinationofmissilesandnuclearweaponshasformedanewgenerationofweapons-missilenuclearweapons.Ithasthecharacteristicsoffastspeed,longrange,andgreatpower,andisamajordevelopmentinmilitarytechnology.Theemergenceofmissilenuclearweaponshasmadethesuddennessanddestructivenessofwarsunprecedentedlyincreased,thescopeofthewarhasfurtherexpanded,andthedifferencebetweenthefrontandtherearhasfurthernarrowed.Missilenuclearweaponshavesofargonethroughseveralstagesofdevelopment.Thefirstgenerationofmissilenuclearweaponsdevelopedinthe1950s,usingliquidpropellantandradio-inertialguidance,waslaunchedfromtheground.Thesecond-generationmissilenuclearweaponsdevelopedinthelate1950sandearly1960susesolidorstorableliquidpropellant,all-inertialguidance,withpenetrationdevices,andarelaunchedfromundergroundwellsorsubmarines.Inordertofurtherimprovethepenetrationcapabilityandtheabilitytostrikehardtargets,inthemid-1960s,thedevelopmentofthird-generationmissilenuclearweaponswithseparateguidedmultiplewarheads,suchastheUS"Minuteman"IIIintercontinentalmissileand"Poseidon"submarinemissile,beganinthemid-1960s.SS-17,SS-18,SS-19intercontinentalmissiles,etc.Inthelate1970s,theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnioncontinuedtoimprovetheiroriginalmodelsandimprovetheirtacticalandtechnicalperformance;ontheotherhand,theybegantodevelopnewtypesofmissileswithstrongersurvivabilityandhigheraccuracy,suchastheUSMXintercontinentalmissile,the"Trident"."I,"Trident"IIsubmarine-to-surfacemissiles,SovietSS-24,SS-25intercontinentalmissiles,etc.Withthedevelopmentofelectronictechnology,guidancetechnologyandsmallturbofanjettechnology,cruisemissileshavereceivedrenewedattention.Thiskindofmissileissmallinsizeandlightinweight.Itcanbelaunchedfromtheground,aircraftorship.Itusesinertialandterrainmatchingguidancetoflyatanultra-lowaltitude.Ithasstrongpenetrationcapabilityandhighhitaccuracy.After1982,theUnitedStateshasbeguntoequipairborne,shipborneandsubmarine-launchedcruisemissiles.
MissileNuclearSubmarine
Nuclearenergyisalsousedasthepowerofships,especiallysubmarines.In1954,theUS"Nautilus"submarinewasthefirsttoadoptnuclearpower.Thisisamajorinnovationinsubmarinepower,whichenablessubmarinestoincreasetheirunderwaterspeedunprecedentedlyandextendtheirunderwaterendurance.TheSovietUnion,Britain,Franceandothercountrieshavealsobeguntodevelopnuclearsubmarines.InNovember1960,theUnitedStatesbegantoequipmissilenuclearsubmarines.Sincethen,theSovietUnion,Britain,Franceandothercountrieshavealsosuccessivelyequippedmissileandnuclearsubmarines.Thecombinationofmissilenuclearweaponsandnuclearsubmarinesnotonlyincreasesthesubmarine'sstrategicstrikecapability,butalsoimprovesthesurvivabilityofmissilenuclearweapons.
Weaponsandequipment
Army
SincetheSecondWorldWar,thedevelopmentoftheArmy’sweaponsandequipmenthasmainlyfocusedonincreasingthedensityandintensityoffirepowerandimprovingthemobilityofthetroops.Ability,survivabilityandlogisticalsupportability.Onthebasisofmotorization,groundforcesaredevelopinginthedirectionofarmored,self-propelled,andair-mobilized.Infantrylightweaponshaverealizedtheintegrationofgeneralization,gunfamilyization,caliberminiaturization,point-to-surfacekillingandarmor-breaking.Ground-to-surfacetacticalmissiles(ground-to-surfacemissiles)areequippedwithalargenumberoftroops,therangeofartilleryisgenerallyincreased,theammunitionismorediversified,andthefirecontrolequipmenthasbeensignificantlyimproved.Inactualcombat,itcanformatightfirepowerdistributionsystemcombiningfarandnear,landandair,andpoint-to-surface.Asthetroopsareequippedwithnightvisionequipmentsuchasinfrared,lowlight,andthermalimaging,combatoperationsarelessandlessrestrictedbynightconditions.Variousnewtypesofcommandandcontrolcommunicationequipment,combatsupportandlogisticalsupportequipmentarewidelyused,greatlyimprovingcombateffectiveness.
Tanksarethemainassaultweaponsforgroundoperations.Afterthewar,especiallysincethe1970s,manycountrieshaveattachedgreatimportancetothedevelopmentoftanks.Thenewmainbattletankshavegenerallyadoptedcompositearmor,high-powerpowerunits,high-pressurelarge-caliberartillery,andaballisticcomputer-centricintegratedfirecontrolsystem,andhaverelativelycompletethreedefenses(anti-nuclear,chemical,andbiologicalweapons))Devices,nightpilotsandsights,etc.,greatlyenhancefirepower,improveprotection,mobilityandadaptabilityundervariousenvironmentalconditions.Sincethearmiesofmanycountriesareequippedwithalargenumberoftanks,large-scaletankconfrontationandanti-clustertankshavebecomeamajorissueinmodernwarfare.Avarietyofanti-tankmethodshavebeendeveloped,suchasanti-tankmissiles,anti-tankguns,anti-tankrocketlaunchers,rocketmine-laying,airborneanti-tankweapons,etc.,whichcanformananti-tankfirepowersystemcombiningfar,mediumandnear,landandair.
AirForce
Withthedevelopmentofjetpropulsiontechnology,fromthemid-1940stotheendofthe1950s,militaryaircraftbasicallycompletedthetransitionfrompistontojet,andthespeedoffighterjetsreachedМ2.0.Inthe1960s,thedevelopmentofaviationtechnologyfurtherimprovedtheperformanceofmilitaryaircraft.ThemaximumspeedofthefighteraircrafthasexceededМ3.0,andthepracticalceilinghasexceeded20,000meters.Sincethe1970s,theusesandfunctionsofvariouscombataircrafthavecontinuedtoexpand.Dependingonthetypeofaircraft,theaircraftisequippedwithcannons,air-to-air,air-to-ground,andair-to-shipmissiles,andvariousaviationbombs,suchasclusterbombs,gasbombs,andguidedbombs,whichgreatlyimprovecombateffectiveness.Theapplicationofmicroprocessorsandotherelectronictechnologieshascontinuouslyimprovedtheautomationofweaponfirecontrolsystemsandcontrolsystems.Modernmilitaryaircrafthavefighters,bombers,fighterbombers,assaultaircraft,carrier-basedaircraft,anti-submarineaircraft,reconnaissanceaircraft,earlywarningaircraft,electroniccountermeasuresaircraft,aerialtankers,transportaircraftandunmannedaircraft,traineraircraft,armedhelicopters,etc.Theperformanceoftheaircrafttendstobehigh-altitude,low-altitude,long-range,andmedium-rangedevelopment.Helicoptershavebeenwidelyusedinairborne,anti-tank,anti-ship,anti-submarine,reconnaissance,communications,electroniccountermeasures,rescue,andtransportation.Theemergenceofvertical/short-rangetakeoffandlandingaircrafthasopenedupanewwayformilitaryaircrafttobeusedundercomplexconditions.
Navy
SinceWorldWarII,navalweaponsandequipmenthavealsoundergonemajorchanges.Missileshavegraduallybecomethemainship-borneweapons.Large,medium,andsmallsurfaceshipsandsubmarineshavebeenequippedwithtacticalorstrategicmissilesrespectively,andguidedmissilefrigates,guidedmissiledestroyers,guidedguidedcruisers,guidedguidedcruisers,guidedguidedmissilesubmarinesandguidedguidedmissilenuclearsubmarineshaveemerged;aircraftcarriersMissileswerealsoinstalled.Manylargeandmedium-sizedsurfaceshipsusegasturbinesorcombinedpowerunitstoimprovetheirmaneuverability.Manysubmarinesusenuclearpowertoimproveenduranceandconcealment.Shipshavealsogenerallystrengthenedanti-submarine,airdefenseandelectronicwarfarecapabilities.Navalaircrafthavedevelopedbombers,fighteraircraft,assaultaircraft,anti-submarineaircraft,earlywarningaircraft,reconnaissanceaircraft,andelectroniccountermeasureaircraft.Themainpartsoftheaircraftincludefixed-wing,rotary-wing,andvertical/short-rangetakeoffandlandingaircraft.Theyplayanimportantroleinmodernnavalwarfare.
PrecisionGuidance
Intheabove-mentionedarmy,navy,andairforceweaponsandequipment,precisionguidanceweaponshavedevelopedrapidlyandarewidelyused,occupyinganincreasinglyimportantposition.Itincludesallkindsoftacticalmissilesandguidedartilleryshells,bombs,etc.In1972,theUnitedStatesusedlaser-guidedandTV-guidedbombsinthewarofaggressionagainstVietnam,andachievedcombateffectstentimesgreaterthanunguidedbombs.IntheFourthMiddleEastWar,alargenumberofplanesandtanksofEgypt,Syria,andIsraelweredestroyedbytheground-to-airmissilesandanti-tankmissilesoftheotherside.Inthe1982British-ArgentineMalvinasIslands(FalklandIslands)war,Argentineaircraftfiredair-to-shipmissilesfrom30kilometersawayandsanktheBritishdestroyer"Sheffield".Thesebattleexamplesshowthatprecision-guidedweaponshavehighhitaccuracyandgoodcombateffectiveness,whichwillhaveamajorimpactoncombatmethods.
MilitaryCommand
Theemergenceofmissilenuclearweaponsandthecontinuousimprovementofconventionalweaponsandequipmenthavegreatlyaffectedtheprocessofmodernwarfareandthebreadthofwarspace,increasingthesuddennessanddestructiveness.Promotethedevelopmentofthemilitarycommandsystemtobehighlyautomated,flexibleandreliable,rapidresponse,strongsurvivability,andgoodconfidentiality.Itisasystemstructureformedbytheinterfacebetweentheelectroniccomputer,commandoperationprogram,communicationnetwork,terminalequipmentandvarioussub-systems.Itiscloselyintegratedwithcommanders,closelylinkingcommand,control,communication,andintelligence,andexercisescommandandcontroloftroopsandweaponsystems.Themodernmilitarycommandsystem,regardlessofitsscale,isinseparablefromthethreebasiclinksofinformationacquisition,processing,andtransmission.
Informationacquisition
Theinformationacquisitionofthemodernmilitarycommandsystemisbasedonmodernreconnaissancetechnology(seemilitaryreconnaissance).Modernreconnaissancetechnologyusesavarietyofadvancedtechnicalreconnaissancemethods,suchasradarreconnaissance,televisioncameras,radiointerceptionanddirectionfinding,sonar,andvariousotherdetectors.Withthedevelopmentofspacetechnologyandremotesensingtechnology,reconnaissancemethodshaveexpandedfromgroundreconnaissanceandaerialreconnaissancetospacereconnaissance(seereconnaissancesatellites).Amongthespacecraftlaunchedbyvariouscountries,militaryspacecraftaccountforabout70%.Amongmilitaryspacecraft,about60%areusedforreconnaissanceandsurveillance.Theyusevariousremotesensingtechnologiessuchasvisiblelight,infrared,andmicrowavetocollectmilitaryintelligence.
ComputerInformationProcessing
Electroniccomputershavelargeinformationstoragecapacityandhigh-speedcomputingcapabilities,andhaveawiderangeofapplicationsinnumericalcalculations,informationprocessing,andautomaticcontrol.Sincethefirstelectroniccomputerappearedin1946,itsdevelopmenthasgonethroughthreegenerationsoftubes,transistors,andsmallandmedium-sizedintegratedcircuits,andhasnowdevelopedtothefourthgenerationoflarge-scaleandverylarge-scaleintegratedcircuits.Ithaspenetratedintoallareasofsociallifeandcausedaprofoundtechnologicalrevolution.Inthemilitary,inadditiontobeingusedincommand,reconnaissance,earlywarning,electronicwarfareandothersystems,itisalsowidelyusedinautomaticweaponcontrol,logisticsmanagement,combatsimulation,militarytraining,andthedevelopmentandproductionofweaponsandequipment.Majorchanges.
ThedevelopmentofcommunicationtechnologySinceWorldWarII,withthedevelopmentofoptical,electricalandaerospacetechnologyandthewidespreadapplicationofmicroprocessors,communicationtechnologyhasundergonegreatchanges.Variouscommunicationmethodssuchasmicrowaverelaycommunication,scatteringcommunication,meteortrailcommunication,satellitecommunicationandopticalcommunicationhaveappeared,andtransmissionmethodsarealsodevelopinginthedirectionofdigitization,automationandnetworking.
Defensetechnology
Nuclearprotectiontechnology
Aftertheemergenceanduseofnuclearweapons,inordertoprotectpersonnelandweaponryfromorreduceshockwavesandlightradiationgeneratedbynuclearexplosions,Earlynuclearradiationandradioactivecontaminationandotherkillinganddestructiveeffects,researchandadoptaseriesofcomprehensivetechnicalprotectionmeasuresincludingnuclearradiationdetection,engineeringprotection,evacuation,concealment,wearingpersonalprotectiveequipmentanddecontamination.Sincethe1960s,peoplehavegraduallyrealizedthatnuclearelectromagneticpulses(abroadbandinstantaneoushigh-intensityelectromagneticpulse)coupledtoelectronicequipmentthroughconductorscandamageordestroythem,andhaveagreatimpactonmilitaryoperations.Inordertostrengthentheprotectionagainstnuclearelectromagneticpulsedamage,variousweaponsandequipmentneedtotakereinforcementmeasuresagainstnuclearelectromagneticpulsefromthebeginningoftheirdesign.
Anti-missiletechnology
Inthemid-1950s,theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionbegantostudyanti-missileissuesandsuccessivelydevelopedtwogenerationsofanti-missilemissileweaponsystems.However,becauseanti-missileisacomprehensivecutting-edgetechnology,itisverydifficulttoachievetimelydetection,correctidentification,precisetracking,andeffectiveinterceptionofincomingwarheads,anditcannotkeepupwiththedevelopmentofmissilepenetrationtechnology.Theexistinganti-missilemissileweaponsystemhaslowrecognitionability,slowresponse,cannotdealwithmultipletargetsatthesametime,andhaslowsurvivability,andcannoteffectivelydefendagainstballisticmissiles.Inadditiontocontinuingtostudyandimproveanti-missilemissileweaponsystems,somecountriesarealsoexploringnewanti-missileapproaches,studyingtheuseoflasers,microwaves,orhigh-energyparticlebeamstoestablishnewanti-missileweaponsystems.
Anti-satellitetechnology
Theroleofmilitarysatellitesinreconnaissance,earlywarning,communications,navigation,meteorologyandgeodesyisincreasing,andanti-satelliteshavegraduallybecomeanewsubjectofmilitarytechnologyresearch..Sincethe1960s,theUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionhavecontinuouslyresearchedandtestedvariousanti-satellitetechnologies.TheUnitedStateshasfocusedonthedevelopmentofanti-satellitemissiles,andsmallanti-satellitemissileslaunchedfromaircrafthavealsoenteredthetestphase.TheSovietUnionfocusedonresearchonanti-satellitesatellites,andnowhascertaincombatcapabilities.Atthesametime,bothcountriesaresteppingupthedevelopmentoflaseranti-satelliteweapons.
Anti-submarinetechnology
Theadoptionofnuclearpowerbysubmarineshasfurtherpromotedthedevelopmentofanti-submarinetechnology.Submarinedetectionequipmenthasbeendevelopedwithsonarsystems,magneticdetectors,infrareddetectors,low-lighttelevisions,exhaustgasdetectors,etc.,whichcandetectthetracesofsubmarinesfromunderwater,water,air,andevenspacecraft.Inadditiontoanti-submarineweapons,depth-waterbombs,torpedoes,andmines,therearealsorocket-assistedtorpedoes(anti-submarinemissiles)equippedonshipsandaircraft.
StrategicEarlyWarningSystem
Basedonthedevelopmentofradar,infraredandaerospacetechnology,thestrategicearlywarningsystemhasbeendeveloped.TheradarwarninglineestablishedbytheUnitedStatesbeforethe1960scansoundanalarmmorethantwohoursbeforetheSovietstrategicbomberreachestheUnitedStates;thenorthernballisticmissileearlywarningsystemestablishedinthe1960scanreachtheUnitedStates15beforetheballisticmissileslaunchedintheSovietUnion.Thealarmsoundsinminutes.Sincethe1970s,thefocushasbeenonthedevelopmentofacomprehensivestrategicearlywarningsystemconsistingofearlywarningsatellitesystems,over-the-horizonradars,andairborneearlywarningandcontrolsystems.
Countermeasuretechnology
Modernelectroniccountermeasuretechnologyincludesthreeaspects:electroniccountermeasurereconnaissance,electronicjammingandelectronicdefense.Electroniccountermeasurereconnaissanceistheuseofreconnaissanceequipmenttofindoutthetechnicalparameters,configurationlocationandquantityoftheenemy'sradioequipment,toprovideabasisfortheimplementationofelectronicinterferenceorelectronicdefense,todestroytheenemy'selectronicequipmentortoproviderelevantintelligenceforothercombatoperations.Electronicinterferenceistheuseofelectronicdevicesthatcanradiateandinterferewithelectromagneticwaves(suchasjammers)ordevicesthatcanreflectandabsorbelectromagneticwaves(suchaschaff,cornerreflectors,Uberlensreflectorsandvariouselectromagneticwaveabsorptioncoatings,etc.)tomaketheenemyFang’selectronicequipmentreducesitsperformanceordoesnotworkproperly,orisdeceived.Electronicdefenseistoadoptvarioustechnicalandtacticalmeasures,suchasimprovingtheanti-interferenceperformanceofelectronicequipment,implementingelectronicsilence,strictlycontrollingthetimeofuse,establishinghiddenstations,etc.,topreventthetechnicalparameters,configurationlocationandquantityofone’sownradioequipmentfrombeingaffectedbytheenemy.Detectortrytoeliminateorweakentheenemy’selectronicinterference.Inthe1960s,withthewidespreadapplicationofinfrared,laserandotheroptoelectronictechnologies,thefieldofelectroniccountermeasureswasfurtherexpanded,andoptoelectroniccountermeasuresdevelopedrapidly.Theemergenceofmilitarysatellites,especiallyelectronicreconnaissancesatellites,hasexpandedtheoperationalscopeofelectroniccountermeasuresfromtheground,sea,andairtoouterspace.Sincethe1970s,newly-developedelectroniccountermeasureequipmenthaswidelyadoptedmicroprocessorsanddigitalcodingtechnology,andiscloselyintegratedwithweaponsystems,greatlyimprovingtheabilityofelectroniccountermeasuresandattacks.Thepreviouslocalwarsinthepast20yearshaveshownthatelectroniccountermeasuresplayanextremelyimportantroleinmodernwarfareandareanindispensableandimportantmeanstoensurevictoryinbattles.
MilitarySystemEngineering
DuringtheSecondWorldWar,theUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStatesappliedsystematicanalysismethodstostudycombatissuesinmilitaryoperationssuchasairdefense,anti-submarine,escort,andmine-laying.Achievedgoodresults.Afterthewar,especiallysincethe1950s,withthedevelopmentofsystemtheoryandelectroniccomputers,aswellasthecomplicationofweaponsandequipmentandwaractivities,theapplicationofsystemsengineeringinthemilitaryhasbecomemoreandmoreextensive,makingtheplanninganddemonstration,overalldesign,andpersonnelofmodernweaponsandequipment.Mechanicalengineering,productionmanagement,aswellasthearmy’sorganizationandcommand,staffoperations,logisticsmanagement,strategicandtacticalresearch,andmilitarytraininghaveundergoneprofoundchanges.Fromthepast,relyingonpracticalexperienceandpersonalintelligence,thearthasdevelopedintoscienceandtechnologythatcancarryoutquantitativeanalysisandsimulationexperiments,whichhasgreatlyenrichedthecontentofmilitarytechnologyandbroughtmilitarytechnologyintoanewstageofdevelopment.
Developmentcharacteristics
SinceWorldWarII,duetotherapiddevelopmentofmodernscienceandtechnologywithnuclearenergy,electroniccomputersandaerospacetechnologyasimportantsymbols,andthefiercearmamentofsuperpowersCompetition,thelatestachievementsofscienceandtechnologyarebeingappliedtothemilitaryfieldmoreandfasterthaneverbefore.Newweaponsandequipmentcontinuetoappear,andmilitaryequipmentisrapidlyupdated.Thepower,range,andaccuracyofweaponshavebeenunprecedentedlyimproved,andthedegreeofautomationandmobilityhavebeengreatlyenhanced.Thetechnicalequipmentusedforcommandcommunications,combatsupport,logisticssupport,andmilitarytrainingisbecomingincreasinglyadvanced,complex,anddiversified.Weaponryisdevelopinginthedirectionofintegration,systematizationandhightechnology.Thedevelopmentofmodernweaponsandequipment,ontheonehand,hascausedprofoundchangesinthescaleandstyleofmodernwarfare.Thesuddennessanddestructivenessofwarhaveincreasedunprecedentedly.Thescopeofwarfarehasdevelopedfromtheground,ocean,andairtoouterspace.Electroniccountermeasureshavebecomemodern.Animportantpartofwarfaremakesmodernwarfarepresentthecharacteristicsofthree-dimensionalwarfare,contractwarfare,overallwarfare,andelectronicwarfare;Theabilitytoorganizeandcommandputsforwardhigherrequirements.Withthecomplexityofweaponryandwaractivities,militarysystemsengineeringisplayinganincreasinglyimportantrole.
Chinesemilitary
Development
Chinahasmadeoutstandingcontributionstothedevelopmentofmilitarytechnologyinhistory.China'sweaponmanufacturingtechnology,fortificationandsiegetechnology,andtheinventionofthecompass,promotedthedevelopmentofancientmilitarytechnology.Chinainventedgunpowderandfirearms,usheringinaneweraofmilitarytechnology.Onlyinmoderntimes,duetolong-termdecadentfeudalruleandimperialistaggression,hinderinganddestroyingChina'ssocialandeconomicprogressandthedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology,militarytechnologyisinabackwardstate.
AfterthefoundingofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,economicconstructionhasbeenrapidlyrestoredanddeveloped.Duringthefirstfive-yearplan,thedefensescienceandtechnologyresearchandtheconstructionofthenationaldefenseindustrywerestrengthened.Afterjustafewyearsofhardwork,aircraft,navalvessels,artillery,tanks,ammunition,radars,commanders,communicationequipmentandelectroniccomponentshavebeenbuiltsuccessivelySuchfactorieshavelaidapreliminaryfoundationforChinatoindependentlydevelopandproduceweaponsandequipment.Sincethen,withthedevelopmentofsocialistconstruction,onthebasisofinitiallyestablishingarelativelycompleteindustrialsystemandmasteringjetpropulsiontechnology,electronictechnology,automaticcontroltechnologyandnucleartechnology,ontheonehand,wecontinuetoimproveanddevelopconventionalweaponsandequipment,andontheother.Activelydevelopmissilenuclearweapons.In1964,thefirstatomicbombtestwassuccessful;in1966,themissilenuclearweapontestwassuccessful;in1967,thefirsthydrogenbombtestwassuccessful;in1970,thefirstartificialsatellitewentintothesky;in1975,theartificialsatellitereturnedtothegroundaccuratelyasplanned;In1980,along-rangelaunchvehiclewassuccessfullylaunchedintotheSouthPacificOcean;in1982,asubmarinelaunchedalaunchvehicle;andin1984,ageosynchronouscommunicationssatellitewassuccessfullylaunched.TheseachievementsindicatethatChina'smilitarytechnologyhasreachedanewlevelinarelativelyshortperiodoftime.Bytheendofthe20thcentury,withthegradualrealizationofthemodernizationofindustry,agriculture,scienceandtechnology,andnationaldefense,China'smilitarytechnologywillreachahigherlevel.
Outlook
Thedevelopmentoffuturemilitarytechnologydependsontheprogressofscienceandtechnologyandmilitaryneeds.Withthecurrentworldfacinganewtechnologicalrevolutionandafiercearmsraceamongsuperpowers,thelatestachievementsofscienceandtechnologywillbeappliedtothemilitaryfieldatafasterspeedandonalargerscale.Thiswillnotonlyfurtherimprovethetacticalandtechnicalperformanceofexistingweaponsandequipment,butalsosomenewweaponsandequipmentwillcontinuetoleadtochangesinmilitarytechnology.
Thedevelopmentofmicroelectronicstechnology
willbringaboutcomprehensivechangesinmilitarytechnology.Microelectronicstechnologyisanewtechnologyformedinthedevelopmentofsemiconductortechnologyfromdiscretecomponentstointegratedcircuitsinthe1950s.Ithasgonethroughsmall-scale,medium-scale,andlarge-scale,andisdevelopingtowardsVLSI.Formorethan20years,theapplicationofmicroelectronicstechnologyinthemilitaryhaspromotedtheminiaturizationofmilitaryelectronicequipmentandgreatlyimprovedthetacticalandtechnicalperformanceofvariousweaponsandequipment.Inthefuture,asVLSIiswidelyusedinvariousfieldsofmilitarytechnology,itwillnotonlyfurtherrealizetheultra-miniaturizationandsimplificationofmilitaryelectronicequipment,butalsoimprovetheperformanceofvariousweaponsystems,includinghittingaccuracy,mobility,andreliability.Aqualitativeleapinperformanceandanti-interferenceability.
Thedevelopmentofelectroniccomputers
willenablethedevelopmentofweaponsandequipmentinthedirectionofintelligence.Theemergenceandapplicationofelectroniccomputershavepartiallyreplacedtheheavymentalworkofhumanbeingsandhavehadaprofoundimpactonmilitarytechnology.Withthefurtherdevelopmentofelectroniccomputers,especiallythedevelopmentofmicroprocessorsandsoftwaretechnology,weaponsandequipmentwillbefurtherautomatedandintelligent.
Thedevelopmentofspacetechnology
maymakeouterspaceanewbattlefield.Militaryspacecraftareplayinganincreasinglyimportantroleinreconnaissance,earlywarning,communications,navigation,meteorology,andgeodesy.Therefore,itwillalsobecomeanimportanttargetofattackinfuturewars.Inthefuture,militaryaerospacetechnologymissions,inadditiontocontinuingtoenhancetheroleofexistingspacecraft,willfocusonthedevelopmentofspacecraft’sattackanddefensecapabilities.Theemergenceofthespaceshuttlehasopenedupnewavenuesfortheestablishmentofspacestationsandmannedspaceweaponsystemsinouterspace,andforvariousmilitaryactivities.Thedevelopmentofmodernspacecraftmayleadtotheemergenceofspaceforcesandspacewars.Ifnotprohibited,outerspacewillbecomeanewbattlefieldafterland,sea,andair.
Directedenergytechnology
mayprovidenewstrategicdefensemethods.Directedenergybeamweaponsthatproducehigh-energybeamsthroughphysicalorchemicalmeansandmakethishigh-energybeampropagateinacertaindirectiontostriketargetsareanewgenerationofweaponsthathaveemergedwiththedevelopmentofdirectedenergytechnology.Currentlyunderstudyarestronglaserweapons,particlebeamweaponsandhigh-powermicrowavebeamweapons.Directedenergybeamweaponscanbeusedtohithigh-speedflyingtargets.Especiallywhenitissetontheouterspaceorbit,becausethereisnoatmosphericinfluencethere,thebeamtransmissionefficiencyishigh,andthepositionissuperior,itispossibletoeliminatetheintercontinentalballisticmissileintheinitialstageofflight.Directedenergybeamweaponsarestillinthestageofexploratoryresearch.Amongthem,stronglaserweaponshavemaderapidprogress.Theyhavesuccessfullytestedanti-tankmissilesandair-to-airmissilesonthegroundandintheair.Inthefuture,themaindevelopmentdirectionistodevelopstronglaserweaponsforstrategicdefense.Oncethisweaponissuccessfullydeveloped,itwillbringrevolutionarychangestotheweaponsystem,especiallythestrategicdefensesystem,andhaveahugeimpactonstrategyandtactics.
Inadditiontotheabovetechnologies,withthedevelopmentofnewmaterials,biologicalengineeringandothernewtechnologies,specialweaponssuchasgeneticweapons,environmentalweapons,infrasoundandsuper-infrasoundweaponsmayalsobedeveloped.