Is China capable of jamming Musk's Starlink satellites?

The constellation of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites has proven their resilience against Russian attempts to jam Ukraine's communications network amid the ongoing war since 2022.

The tech billionaire has confirmed that his company has allocated significant resources to combat Russia’s jamming attempts and provide continued assistance to Kyiv.

The constellation of 10,000-plus Starlink satellites operates over an area nearly the size of Taiwan.

Apparently, China has been taking notes. A new study by the scientists at the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) published in journal Systems Engineering and Electronics reveals that the country has acquired the capability to jam the constellation in case of a conflict.

The study reveals that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could use between 1,000 to 2,000 signal jamming drones to disrupt the Starlink constellation that has the ability to adapt in real time.

Experts who frequently contribute to China's defence research, have said that the constant movement of the constellation makes it difficult for any third party to monitor or counter it.

They said that even if someone manages to block one signal, the network immediately shifts to another link, adding, “The best possible way to block such a communication is to use a distributed signal blocking strategy using multiple drones.”

Scientists found that ground based jamming systems would prove ineffective, however, a giant swarm synchronised signal-jamming drones can prove effective against Starlink.

In a simulation targeting signals over Taiwan, a coordinated effort of 935 drones proved effective against Starlink.

The published findings are preliminary, and the real jamming technology remains confidential due to strategic reasons.