China’s state broadcaster posted a video on Thursday featuring what appeared to be a new type of graphite bomb that it said could knock out enemy power stations and cause a “complete loss of electricity” across a targeted area.
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A social media channel run by CCTV shared an animated video showing the weapon being launched from a land-based vehicle before ejecting 90 cylinder-shaped submunitions.
These canisters bounced upon impact before detonating mid-air, dispersing fine, chemically treated carbon filaments designed to short-circuit high-voltage power infrastructure.
The weapon aims to disrupt enemy command and control systems by triggering widespread electrical outages over an area of at least 10,000 square metres (107,639 sq ft), according to the channel.
CCTV cited an account from the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), a contractor affiliated with the Ministry of National Defence.
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However, the broadcaster offered no details about the weapon’s designation or its status. It referred to the weapon as “a mysterious type of domestically made missile”. It remains unclear which stage of development it has reached, or if it has been deployed by the Chinese military.