In a paper published last month, they argued that by fusing artificial intelligence (AI) with the very physics of radio wave propagation, China could win a “new form of war” where communications and radars are faster, smarter and far more resilient than anything fielded today.

Their findings were published in the Chinese journal Command Control and Simulation on April 29.

The team is led by senior engineer Li Fukai with the China Academy of Electronics and Information Technology and the National Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Wave Propagation, top-tier defence research and development institutes directly involved in national strategic programmes.

For decades, electronic warfare has been about jamming, spoofing and intercepting signals. But in an era where drones swarm and hypersonic missiles dictate the action, traditional methods are struggling to cope with the chaos of dynamic, unpredictable signal environments.

The Pentagon has reportedly deployed AI during strikes against Iranian targets. However, even advanced systems such as the F-35 stealth fighter have suffered losses, as Iranian air defences managed to exploit weaknesses in US electronic warfare systems.