- Chinese study shows that it is possible to block Starlink in Taiwan
- Between 1,000 and 2,000 drones with jamming equipment could create an ‘electromagnetic shield’ to do this
- However, keeping such a drone operation running successfully would not be easy.
Chinese scientists have demonstrated how it is theoretically possible to use a large swarm of drones to block satellite Internet from Taiwan in a “large-scale electronic warfare” simulation.
Tom’s Hardware reports that the study, as highlighted by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), found that plunging all of Taiwan into internet darkness would require around 1,000 or possibly up to 2,000 specially adapted jamming drones.
The study was carried out by Zhejiang University and the Beijing Institute of Technology and, as the SCMP explains: “Hundreds or thousands of small synchronized jammers would have to be deployed in the sky (in drones, balloons or airplanes) forming an electromagnetic shield over the battlefield.”
Starlink has become a focus of attention for China since Musk’s Starlink satellites were deployed to help Ukraine after it was attacked by Russia in 2022, to restore battlefield communications.
Denying Starlink in such a total way would not be an easy task, as you can imagine. Musk’s satellites have smart technology on board, and compared to a typical satellite, their collective “mesh network” nature makes them much harder to jam.
The SCMP says Chinese scientists used real Starlink data to create a simulation of the positioning of Musk’s satellites over a 12-hour period. They then crafted a network of jamming drones (using a mix of wide- and narrow-beam noise-generating electronic jammers, flying at an altitude of 20 kilometers) to successfully jam the signal to the ground in all areas.
The conclusion was that 935 coordinated drones should create the ‘electromagnetic shield’ needed to completely block Taiwan’s Starlink. However, lower powered (cheaper) drones could be used instead; deploying around 2,000 would work, the report said.
Analysis: an expensive effort to carry out
Obviously, mobilizing 1,000 or even 2,000 drones loaded with specialized jamming equipment is going to be a headache, because it’s not just about that initial deployment in a shield formation, but also about keeping those drones in place. That includes swapping them out for replacements as needed, as they will need to be replenished in a sustained internet shutdown campaign that has been running for some time.
It wouldn’t be cheap and it wouldn’t be easy to manage logistically, but China clearly has the means to achieve this feat, marking a possible new way to take advantage of the technological war. The study is based on some assumptions, including ideal conditions for drones to operate, while a real-world deployment may end up far from ideal.
And of course, the targeted island being could take action against these drones. Taiwan has anti-drone equipment, but the jamming drones will be 12 miles in the sky, so shooting down many of them would be non-trivial. It could be costly to deploy such a swarm of drones, but it would also be costly to break this blockade.
In any case, it’s hardly comforting that China is flexing its technological warfare muscle in this way, and coupled with China’s Internet cord-cutting capabilities, as Tom’s Hardware points out, the furrowed eyebrows of those potentially threatened may be multiplying.
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