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Project 640 was a
missile defense Missile defense is a system, weapon, or technology involved in the detection, tracking, interception, and also the destruction of attacking missiles. Conceived as a defense against nuclear weapon, nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic mi ...
development programme of the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
that started in 1964. The programme pursued processes and technologies related to command and control, sensors, and weapons - including
anti-ballistic missile An anti-ballistic missile (ABM) is a surface-to-air missile designed to Missile defense, destroy in-flight ballistic missiles. They achieve this explosively (chemical or nuclear), or via hit-to-kill Kinetic projectile, kinetic vehicles, which ma ...
s (ABM),
lasers A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radi ...
, and anti-satellite satellites. The goal of deploying or testing a complete system in the mid-1970s was unrealistic. Technical challenges, economic constraints and competing programmes slowed progress in the 1970s. Project 640 formally ended in 1982 without a system being developed. Some areas of research, including anti-satellite weapons and lasers, continued under
863 Program The 863 program () or State High-Tech Development Plan () was a program funded and administered by the government of the People's Republic of China intended to stimulate the development of advanced technologies in a wide range of fields for th ...
which started in the late-1980s.


History

In late-1963 and early-1964,
Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...
received reports on the use of missiles and lasers for missile defense. Mao voiced his approval for missile defence research in the "640" directive in February 1964; this was referenced by the project as 640. A high-level technical meeting in March 1964 chose ABMs as the preferred weapon. Project proposals and organizational changes proceeded into 1966. Development of a missile defence system was approved in August 1965, with testing targeted for 1973–1975; the designation Project 640 was assigned in March 1966. By early 1971, the first missile defence zone was to be installed at
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
and
Tianjin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...
by 1974. A trial system installed at Tianjin for tests and simulations, with additional support coming from the 068 Base constructed as part of the Third Front in Changsha. Progress was stymied by the lack of technical capability and disruption from the
Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...
. No system was ever made; the ABMs remained under development through the late-1970s. Development slowed after 1974 as the programme was wound down. ABM development practically halted after 1978 when missile development priority shifted to the DF-5
intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...
(ICBM) and
submarine-launched ballistic missile A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from Ballistic missile submarine, submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which ...
s. Project 640 ended in 1982. Research on lasers and
electromagnetic pulse An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also referred to as a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. The origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial, and can occur as an electromagnetic field, as an ...
s continued elsewhere.


Components


Missiles

ABM development was codenamed Project 640-1 and carried out by the Second Academy of the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building. The first missile was the HQ-81 (), later renamed to FJ-1 (). The FJ-1 was designed to work with the 110
radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
to intercept the warhead of a DF-3 ballistic missile at an altitude of 15 kilometers. Small-scale prototypes were launched in 1966. There were serious launch failures in 1972, and it was not until the late-1970s that satisfactory performance was achieved. By that time it was clearly obsolete and developed was stopped by early-1980. The FJ-2 was a short-ranged missile designed as an alternative to the FJ-1. Development started in 1970 and cancelled in 1973. Six test launches of small-scale prototypes - five of which succeeded - were made from October 1971 to April 1972; 5 of 6 launches were successful. The FJ-3 was intended to be a silo-launched three-stage solid fuel missile for intercepting targets at an altitude of hundreds of kilometers. It was to use the 715 guidance and the 7010 early warning radars. The FJ-3 was proposed in June 1971 and some work was carried out before being cancelled in 1977. The S-7 on-board computer designed for the FJ-3 was later used on the DF-5 ICBM. The Second Academy worked on anti-satellite satellite development at the same time as the FJ-1.


Guns

Anti-missile supergun development was codenamed Project 640-2 and carried out by the 210th Institute of the 20th Academy of the General Logistics Department, under the supervision of the Second Academy of the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building. From 1965 to 1968, subcaliber projectiles were test fired from smoothbore 85 mm and 140 mm guns; the latter's projectiles reached a height of 74 km. The 210th Institute also designed Pioneer, a 320 mm gun firing rocket or
ramjet A ramjet is a form of airbreathing jet engine that requires forward motion of the engine to provide air for combustion. Ramjets work most efficiently at supersonic speeds around and can operate up to . Ramjets can be particularly appropriat ...
propelled subcaliber shells. Pioneer was 26 meters long and weighed 155 tons. Advances in
penetration aid A penetration aid (or "penaid") is a device or tactic used to increase an aircraft's capability of reaching its target without detection, and in particular intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) warhead's chances of penetrating a target's def ...
s led to interest shifting from unguided projectiles to gun-launched missiles from 1970. Contemporary material science and technical capability could not meet requirements and supergun development ended in 1978. The research into the effects of high acceleration yielded some benefits. The 210th Institute and the 1410th Institute of the Ministry of Electronics Industry developed a gyroscope that could operate in 3000-5000 '' g''; the device was used in other missiles. The research was also used to design parachutes for spacecraft during
atmospheric entry Atmospheric entry (sometimes listed as Vimpact or Ventry) is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. Atmospheric entry may be ''uncontrolled entr ...
.


Lasers

Anti-missile laser development was codenamed Project 640-3 and carried out by the
Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...
's Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM), which was founded in 1964 for laser research. SIOM constructed a 120 mm laser with a maximum output of 320 kilojoules (kJ). Higher beam quality reduced the required energy to 30 kJ. Test firings were made against
aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
targets; an 80 mm target at 10 meters indoors, and a 0.2 mm target at 2 kilometers outdoors. Development was cancelled in 1976 due to insurmountable technical problems. Support for laser development was reaffirmed in 1979 and was eventually continued as part of the
863 Program The 863 program () or State High-Tech Development Plan () was a program funded and administered by the government of the People's Republic of China intended to stimulate the development of advanced technologies in a wide range of fields for th ...
started in the late-1980s.


Radar

Radar development was codenamed Project 640-4 and carried out by the Fourth Ministry of Machine Building's 14th Electronics Research Institute in
Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...
. Project 640-4 produced the 7010 early warning and 110 tracking radars. Development of the 7010
phased array In antenna (radio), antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled Antenna array, array of antennas which creates a radio beam, beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point ...
radar was approved in early-1970. Constructed started in 1972, with the incomplete unit being used for testing, and was completed in 1976. The full array was 40 meters wide and 20 meters high, and had a range of 3000 kilometers. At least one 7010, built on a mountain side in Xuanhua at an elevation of 1600 meters, remained in service in 1999; it has been used for satellite tracking. Development of the 110 monopulse precision tracking radar started in 1966. It was based on the 110 test radar from 1959. It entered service in 1977 enclosed within a 44-meter diameter
radome A radome (a portmanteau of "radar" and "dome") is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar antenna (radio), antenna. The radome is constructed of material transparent to radio waves. Radomes protect the antenna from weathe ...
.


Atmospheric entry

Research into the physics of
atmospheric entry Atmospheric entry (sometimes listed as Vimpact or Ventry) is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. Atmospheric entry may be ''uncontrolled entr ...
of warheads was codenamed Project 640-5.


References


Notes


Sources

* {{Chinese Missiles Missile defense Anti-ballistic missiles of the People's Republic of China