Undersea tensions: The rising threat of deep-sea cable attacks
Russia and China are harassing the West with actions that, while not amounting to war, cause considerable damage. These hostile activities include, among others, attacks on underwater telecommunication infrastructure. China has admitted to possessing special devices for such tasks.
Underwater cables are an easy target. They can be severed by dragging a heavy anchor along the seabed, or – in the case of more sensitive objects such as a gas pipeline lying on the seabed – even just the anchor chain.
Such actions are relatively simple to execute, and it is difficult to prove intentional misconduct on the part of the perpetrators, rather than, for instance, negligence or crew error. For this reason, underwater infrastructure has become the target of many attacks in recent years. Some of these have been carried out by ships belonging to Chinese shipping companies.
However, such attacks are restricted to relatively shallow waters, where the depth is no more than a few dozen or at most a hundred metres. Infrastructure at this depth is easy to destroy, but repairs are also relatively straightforward in most cases.
Underwater angle grinder
In this context, the equipment revealed by China is seen as a very dangerous weapon. Developed by the State Laboratory of Deep-Sea Manned Vehicles, it's a cutter designed to operate in deep-sea conditions and is intended to be integrated with various types of underwater units.
According to official statements, the new device aims to support the exploration of marine resources and was developed under a civil program related to maritime rescue and mining. However, its capabilities are causing worldwide concern.
Made of titanium and protected against the pressure found at great depths, the equipment is equipped with a kilowatt electric motor and a 15-centimetre diamond blade running at 1600 revolutions per minute.
It is designed to minimize water turbulence generated by the blade's operation, which could stir up a cloud of sediment on the seabed and impair visibility.
Although the blade sizes might seem modest (popular, home angle grinders have blades with a diameter of about 10 to 13 centimetres), the Chinese equipment can operate at depths of up to 3,600 metres, cutting through rubber or polymer-coated cables, as well as those protected by a steel braid.
Chinese submersibles
China also possesses underwater vehicles capable of utilizing the new equipment. As early as 2020, Beijing unveiled the capabilities of the manned submersible Striver (Chinese: Fendouzhe). During a 12-hour mission, the three-person unit descended to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, reaching a depth of 10,900 metres.
For the construction, which must withstand pressure of about 110,000 kilopascals, a special titanium alloy was developed, along with a new type of battery that minimizes the risk of fire during long-duration submerged missions. Noteworthy among Striver's equipment are the two manipulators capable of lifting objects weighing up to 59 kilograms.
Alongside manned vehicles, in recent years China has also developed deep-sea drones like the Haidou, capable of autonomous operation at very great depths.
Cable cutter
The information released by the Chinese has attracted great interest – although the new equipment is presented as a research tool, there is no doubt about its potential use as an underwater weapon. Moreover, this is not the first equipment designed for such a purpose developed by China.
As early as 2020, a team from Lishui University published information about a device for cutting undersea cables "in crisis situations," intended for use in case of illegal laying of submarine cables near the Chinese coast.
The device takes the form of an anchor with blades equipped with a copper detector – metal found not only in the cables themselves but also, for example, in the sheathing that protects fibre optic bundles. The detector's task is to confirm that a cable cut has indeed occurred, as evidenced by copper particles found on the blades.
Target: Underwater infrastructure
How might China use such devices? Scenarios have been drawn by sources, including the Hong Kong newspaper "South China Morning Post". In addition to generating losses caused during peacetime by data transmission disruptions, Beijing could employ the underwater equipment during wartime operations.
Aside from targeting the infrastructure connecting Taiwan with the world, Chinese actions could focus on underwater cables in the region of Guam, where a United States military base is located – one of the key installations from the standpoint of the balance of power in the Pacific.
Although cutting cables currently does not guarantee an information blockade, it must be remembered that undersea cables account for about 95% of global data circulation. Wireless communication not only provides lower bandwidth but is also more vulnerable to disruption.
