CHINA has created a chilling "dream bullet" that can reach speeds of 5,300mph and change direction via SatNav signals, according to reports.
Designed for kinetic energy weapons, the bullet can be fired from a formidable railgun and is capable of travelling 8,200 feet in just one second.
The devastating weapon of destruction can also stably receive signals from its satellite navigation system and continually adjust its flight path.
As a result, it maintains an error of less than 49 feet -the maximum amount of time a technical system can fail without contractual consequences - until it hits its target.
But China's new toy is based off previous designs from the US military.
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Known as the "dream shell", initial plans for its construction were first introduced in 2012, before America abandoned them by 2021.
And while there is no publicly available information on the fate of the GPS-guided shell project, Chinese naval scientists claim to have created it, report the South China Morning Post,
In a paper published in the Journal of Naval University of Engineering in November, the team said that while the West may have had a head start in the research, they received no help from abroad.
“We had no guidance, not even a cursory introduction to guided missile navigation systems, especially the satellite navigation component,” wrote the team.
Led by Feng Junhong with the National Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Energy at the Naval University of Engineering, the team may have just reshaped the military landscape.
In August, it was announced that China's military was testing the "world's most powerful gun" that can launch shells at an incredible speed of 2,200mph.
Known as a coilgun, the futuristic Sci-fi weapon can reportedly fire a missile-size projectile within seconds as it paves a path for more accurate and catastrophic attacks.
While electromagnetic launch weapons can deliver a barrage of cost-effective shells, they also maintain long-range and precision capabilities of missiles.
However, an intense electromagnetic field generated during launch can have devastating effects on delicate electronic components such as chips and antennas.
But these "smart" shells must also be able to receive weak satellite signals.
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This contradiction with their electromagnetic shielding capabilities has stumped scientists and engineers worldwide - including those in China.
In the paper, Feng's team disclosed a novel antenna design that can resist strong electromagnetic radiation while receiving high-precision positioning signals from the BeiDou military frequency band.
The naval scientists also provided detail of the BeiDou signal receiver's special internal structure.
During the launch of the shell, however, there are issues to overcome.
Firstly, the shell receiver endures a force exceeding 25,000 times that of Earth's gravity, meaning any flaw in its construction could lead it astray.
There is also the issue of the shell generating intense heat due to friction as it hurtles through the air.
To counter this, the Chinese scientists used a cost-effective, mass-produced aerogel as a thermal barrier.
The navigation software poses another significant hurdle, with shells whirling and swaying erratically during flight.
To combat this issue, Feng and his colleagues have devised a straightforward algorithm that prevents any interruption of satellite communication throughout the shell's trajectory.
The SCMP reports that papers published by Chinese military scientists in open academic journals undergo rigorous security checks.
It is unclear why China chose to disclose this progress at this time.
