Accordingly, Chinese military technology scientists have conducted many tests under different conditions, showing that AI using laser guidance for artillery is capable of hitting targets the size of a human. people at a distance of 9,9 miles (~16 km).
The accuracy achieved in these tests exceeded expectations, far higher than any large gun in use on the battlefield today.
Maximum efficiency, minimum cost
Traditional artillery shells often have an error of 100 meters (328 feet) or more from the target. Therefore, guided artillery shells, capable of adjusting the direction of flight while in flight, are being widely used by the militaries of China, the United States and other countries.
However, the accuracy of today's guided artillery shells is limited in part because traditional mathematical models cannot handle huge amounts of real-time data in time. Variables such as wind, temperature, and air pressure directly affect the accuracy of an artillery shell, making it possible for it to miss its target or fall within a few or tens of meters of its target.
Wang's research team, along with collaborators and unmanned systems experts, believe that AI offers the potential to increase processing speed compared to traditional mathematical methods.
"Artificial intelligence is developing rapidly, and more and more scientists are using this technology to solve orbital programming problems," said Professor Wang Jiang, project leader from the Northern Institute of Technology. Kinh, said in an article published in the journal Acta Armamentarii.
When a "smart" shell is fired, it needs to rapidly collect and analyze various types of environmental data to fine-tune its course, a task whose number of calculations can grow exponentially. variable.
Meanwhile, the microprocessor inside the bullet must be designed in the simplest way to withstand the extreme heat and shock of artillery fire. Faced with such requirements, the chip often has to discard valuable raw data to complete calculations in a timely manner, thereby affecting overall accuracy.
But with AI technology, even a sluggish computer chip can complete the necessary calculations by taking advantage of nearly all available data.
According to the researchers, when learning from training based on data collected from real flights or experiments, AI can bypass some of the rigorous computational demands typically made with traditional methods. system.
Not only that, the specialization of AI models opens up the possibility to fine-tune the trajectory of the projectile during firing, thereby improving accuracy even further.
Inevitable trend
Both China and the United States are racing to develop "smart" artillery to help cut the cost of war, as shells are often much cheaper than missiles and can quickly be produced in large numbers.
Last year, the US military signed a $66 million contract with weapons manufacturer Raytheon to supply an unspecified number of smart munitions for GPS-guided artillery, with a range of up to 40 km. according to some media reports.
Michael Peck, a writer for Forbes, said that artillery was not invested by the US because it was too cumbersome to deploy in deserts and mountains, while the air force had speed and flexibility in using weapons. heavyweight.
However, the lessons learned from the current conflict in Europe, as well as the development of new generations of fighters capable of depriving US ground forces of air support have made Washington must rethink its strategy.
Meanwhile, Chinese state media last year also published a clip of a live-fire drill that showed the Chinese army using smart artillery shells to hit a moving target, but the effective distance and The accuracy of this weapon is not publicly disclosed.
In addition, Beijing has developed a new intelligent mortar, which is said to have centimeter accuracy. However, mortars generally have a shorter range and lower speed than shells.
Defense industry analysts say that in urban warfare, artillery shells with AI support can neutralize enemy units or vehicles hiding in buildings with high efficiency. than traditional firepower at a lower cost than using missiles.
(According to Asiantimes, SCMP)
