This demonstration comes at a time when cable sabotage, from the Baltic Sea to Taiwan, is becoming a key component of « hybrid warfare. »
The tool looks like a simple circular saw mounted on an articulated arm, but made of titanium alloy, it can withstand the pressure of depths up to 4,000 meters, which is twice the depth of the deepest existing submarine cables. Researchers from a Chinese state institute who created the tool present it as an instrument for « marine resource development, » but it could also prove to be a formidable weapon in a growing battle targeting optical cables laid on the ocean floor.
An article published at the end of February in a Chinese specialist journal, referenced on March 23 and 24 by the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, highlights the technical features of this 15-centimeter-diameter device developed by the China Ship Scientific Research Center, which is responsible for deep-submersible programs. China is gaining an edge in this field. The team, led by researcher Hu Haolong, touts the merits of the robot, which is intended to be mounted on deep-water submarines. « Experimental results show that the underwater cable cutting device can successfully cut reinforced cables with a diameter of 60 millimeters, achieving a success rate of 100%, » reads the article, with photos of damaged cables included.
This demonstration of China’s interest in cable cutting comes at a time when telecommunications sabotage is becoming a destabilizing tool, from the Baltic Sea to the Taiwan Strait.
Source: Le Monde
