🚁 China misses 60% of targets in drone swarm drills, world’s largest tunnel digger built with ancient swordsmith skill, ‘Russian spy’ beluga whale found dead in Norway

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Chinese state media reports that the Chinese military has achieved a paltry 40% hit rate when training to shoot down drone swarms. As CCTV reported last week, this surprising result was discovered during the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) latest testing of its anti-drone swarm capabilities.

During the tests, the PLA deployed its latest anti-drone artillery systems to see how it would perform in battle. As the 40% hit rate would indicate, it was not as effective as the PLA may have hoped. Dive deeper into this story with our Must-Read.

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> Associate Principal, Software Engineering: Java
> Data Scientist

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MUST-READ

🚁 China military stumbles in drone swarm defense, misses 60% of targets in drills

“Shooting at drone swarms was still quite challenging due to their speed and small size, as well as their ability to change flight trajectories – making it easy for gunners to lose their targets,” Duan Xiaolong, from an unnamed regiment with the PLA Ground Force’s 77th Group Army explained to CCTV.

According to Major Cui Yang of the PLA regiment behind the testing, the PLA’s most recent air defense training exercise was conducted to evaluate drone defense capabilities at various distances and pinpoint issues for future drills, as reported by CCTV.

⚔️ 10,000-ton, world’s largest tunnel digger built with ancient swordsmith skill

Engineers at the China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation (CRCHI) have turned to a 2,500-year-old blacksmithing approach to help build the world’s largest tunnel-boring machine (TBM). Weighing 10,000 tonnes, the TBM is as heavy as the Eiffel Tower and establishes China’s dominance in yet another area of high-end engineering structure.

It was only in 2008 that China domestically manufactured a TBM, but in the following decade, it improved its technological capabilities to become a global leader in TBM supply.

TBM machines are critical components of underground construction machinery, allowing engineers to tunnel through a wide variety of terrains. However, the equipment is not only a feat of engineering but also combines high-end technology from electronics, information technology, and even artificial intelligence.

🐳 Celebrity ‘Russian spy’ beluga whale found dead in Norway after stirring rumors

A beloved beluga whale named Hvaldimir, who sparked international intrigue with his possible ties to Russia, has been found dead in southern Norway.

The whale, whose name is a fusion of the Norwegian word for whale—hval—and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first name, was discovered floating in Risavika Bay by a local father and son duo out fishing.

The discovery of Hvaldimir’s body marks the end of a story that captivated both marine biologists and the public since his first appearance in 2019, near Russian waters.

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