China is Planning To Build a Deep Sea Base For Unmanned Submarine Science and Defense Operations in the South China Sea (scmp.com) 69
Urged by China President Xi Jinping to dare to do something that has never been done before, scientists say challenges could give China huge technology lead. From a report: China is planning to build a deep sea base for unmanned submarine science and defence operations in the South China Sea, a centre that might become the first artificial intelligence colony on Earth, officials and scientists involved in the plan said. The project -- named in part after Hades, the underworld of Greek mythology -- was launched at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing this month after a visit to a deep sea research institute at Sanya, Hainan province, by Chinese President Xi Jinping in April.
Xi urged the scientists and engineers to dare to do something that has never been done before. "There is no road in the deep sea, we do not need to chase [after other countries], we are the road," he said. The idea of an outpost for deep sea exploration has been a favourite of scientists, engineers and fiction writers for hundreds of years, while the Greek allegory of Atlantis has inspired many "city beneath the sea" stories. The Hadal zone that would be home to the base is the deepest part of an ocean -- typically a V-shape abyss -- at a depth of 6,000 to 11,000 metres (19,685 to 36,100 feet). The project will cost Chinese taxpayers 1.1 billion yuan (US$160 million), the scientists said. That is half as much again as the cost of the FAST radio telescope -- the world's largest -- in Guizhou province, southwest China.
Xi urged the scientists and engineers to dare to do something that has never been done before. "There is no road in the deep sea, we do not need to chase [after other countries], we are the road," he said. The idea of an outpost for deep sea exploration has been a favourite of scientists, engineers and fiction writers for hundreds of years, while the Greek allegory of Atlantis has inspired many "city beneath the sea" stories. The Hadal zone that would be home to the base is the deepest part of an ocean -- typically a V-shape abyss -- at a depth of 6,000 to 11,000 metres (19,685 to 36,100 feet). The project will cost Chinese taxpayers 1.1 billion yuan (US$160 million), the scientists said. That is half as much again as the cost of the FAST radio telescope -- the world's largest -- in Guizhou province, southwest China.
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Which just happens to be an incredibly effective weapon. It is literally a very large hand grenade, so "close" does count.
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Which just happens to be an incredibly effective weapon.
Especially against a stationary target.
Re:Dick measuring contest (Score:4, Insightful)
The base itself won't give them an edge in combat - precisely for that reason.
It is the spin-off tech that is important. If they get this going, they will routinely build subs that go to great depths. Which is useful for a navy. For the civilian economy, deep sea mining is interesting. If they can get mass-produced vessels & robots that work at such depths. Which this sort of project will provide.
The moon landing had no direct military importance - the tech developed to go there certainly had.
Re: Dick measuring contest (Score:2)
Otoh, while some are obsessed with tariffs, the China project seems rather innovative and ambitious.
Gibberish much?
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Science and engineering innovation is a good thing, Even it is on the backs of Political one-up.
The Space Race in the the 1960's and 1970's really helped bring science into a new age. Helping urge the computer revolution and the Internet too. ICBM was a risk to the communication infrastructure so a new network designed to reroute was made in case a particular point was destroyed.
$160 milion? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Lower cost of living. If you were to visit china with a hundred US dollars, you can get a lot more purchasing power from that.
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Yes, but most of these are sunk costs.
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Yes, but most of these are sunk costs.
They're paying for it with liquid assets.
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Yes, but most of these are sunk costs.
They're paying for it with liquid assets.
Most of their initial costs will be fluid.
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Most of their initial costs will be fluid.
If they run into trouble I'm sure they will try floating the stock.
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That is pretty impressive you can build a sea base for $160 million. In the US that wouldn't even pay for the wetsuits.
It doesn't actually have to work. It's like planting a flag on a hill and calling it yours.
No science is being done here.
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But we have compliance...
As they say Compliance Create Jobs.
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we'd spend 3x that much on a feasibility study for the environmental impact study.
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That is pretty impressive you can build a sea base for $160 million. In the US that wouldn't even pay for the wetsuits.
And the US wouldn't kill anyone in the process either or afterwards from shoddy construction.
You can accomplish a lot when you don't put much value on human life.
Ownership (Score:2)
All their base are belong to us.
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Someone send us "DOWN?" the bomb?
James Bond (Score:2)
Sounds like the plot for a James Bond movie.
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How can this even be possible? (Score:2)
Harry Goz is dead.
I think I've seen this show (Score:2)
Is Pooh Bear watching adult swim reruns of Sealab 2021?
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Possibly Sealab 2020. It's more likely to work out like 2021 though. Complete with the base imploding.
China is going to force World War 3 (Score:2)
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How do we get them to knock this shit off?
Why do you hate science?
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Why do you love the Communist Chinese government?
You hate science because you hate the Chinese government?
If I love science and they also love science, does it mean I love the Chinese government?
Not a good use of their money (Score:1)
An adversarial nation could destroy this super expensive base with little effort using existing capabilities. I don't believe the estimates because they tend to use low-tech solutions that are much more error prone and take a lot more time. No opportunity to industrial sabotage the tech from other countries here either.
Keeping a carrier there (which, by the way, you can move) would be far cheaper, less dangerous
Autonomous war submarines (Score:2)
It always seemed to me that autonomous submarines would be super useful for military offense. A submarine that doesn't need humans inside can be smaller, faster, quieter, cheaper, and more maneuverable. They could recharge from solar or tidal power, or have nuclear batteries that last decades. But most frighteningly: what if they contained nuclear weapons? You could position them all over the world, nearly undetectable, imminently ready to strike. Port cities are vulnerable yet also valuable.
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It always seemed to me that autonomous submarines would be super useful for military offense. A submarine that doesn't need humans inside can be smaller, faster, quieter, cheaper, and more maneuverable. They could recharge from solar or tidal power, or have nuclear batteries that last decades. But most frighteningly: what if they contained nuclear weapons? You could position them all over the world, nearly undetectable, imminently ready to strike. Port cities are vulnerable yet also valuable.
I don't know that I would trust anything autonomous with nuclear weapons. Even if the tech was foolproof for remote steering and detonation, it takes one person hacking the communication to it and the highest bidder now has nuclear weapons.
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Indeed. Slapping a nuclear weapon on robotic toys sounds nice when fantasizing about apocalyptic scenarios, but in the real world nuclear weapons are so valuable that they are targets for all kinds of mischief.
If I wrap your nuclear armed toy in a gauss cage and seize physical control in deep water, is there a automated system to blow it up "safely" while spreading nuclear crap into the water? Or can I take it home, take it apart and refurbish it to become a nuclear power?
Making the South China Sea a plac
Yawn (Score:2)
Call me when they have actually built it and it works as expected.
Until then I put it in the same file as all the other outrageous claims China likes to make up and / or brag about.
Tomorrow they will announce an AI controlled hand held laser that turns everyone Chinese.
Ops, sorry.... (Score:1)
If in International waters, then another country can build an explosives testing facility right next door.
This seems like another Chinese ploy to grab non-territorial water/land like they are doing with man-made islands in international waters and other countries waters.