Protecting the Internet's Backbone: China Tests Undersea Cable Cutter
A Chinese research ship has successfully tested a deep-sea cable cutter, raising security concerns amid a spate of suspected sabotage incidents targeting crucial undersea communications and power cables.
Safeguarding the Internet's Backbone
In a concerning development, a Chinese research ship has successfully tested a deep-sea cable cutter capable of slicing through submarine data cables thousands of meters beneath the ocean surface. This demonstration may exacerbate security concerns over a spate of suspected sabotage incidents targeting undersea communications and power cables from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean.
The trial took place at a depth of 11,483 feet (3,500 meters) during a deep-sea science expedition involving the Chinese research ship named Haiyang Dizhi 2. This ship is equipped with a 150-ton crane, a 10-kilometer fiber optic winch, and a helicopter landing platform, and has shown the capability to deploy deep-sea remotely operated vehicles in previous missions.
According to the South China Morning Post, the China Science Daily, an official, Chinese-language news publication run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, claimed that
Source: Ars Technica
