Why tiny atomic clocks may hold the key to China mass-producing cheap swarm drones

Researchers say the fingernail-sized devices could help transform drone warfare and other fields where precise timing is vital

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Listen

The team’s atomic clock, which is said to lose only a second every 30,000 years. Photo: Handout

Published: 12:00pm, 19 Mar 2026Updated: 12:56pm, 19 Mar 2026

Timing is everything in modern warfare, where even a nanosecond’s delay can make the difference between hitting or missing a target in a coordinated drone or missile attack.

China may now have taken a major step forward in this field with the mass production of the world’s smallest atomic clock – something the researchers behind it say could transform drone warfare, underwater navigation and battlefield communication.

Developed by a research team led by Professor Chen Jiehua from Wuhan University’s Satellite Navigation and Positioning Technology Research Centre, the clock only loses a second every 30,000 years, according to the official newspaper Changjiang Daily.

The device measures just 2.3 cubic cm (0.14 cubic inch), less than one-seventh the size of the leading US models and about the size of a fingernail.

“Even if traditional atomic clocks are miniaturised, the minimum volume limit is still several hundred cubic centimetres and the minimum power consumption is at least several watts,” Chen told the newspaper.

According to Chen, the US has produced a 17 cubic cm product, but his team’s clock has a comparable performance even though it is much smaller.

Why tiny atomic clocks may hold the key to China mass-producing cheap swarm drones

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Researchers say the fingernail-sized devices could help transform drone warfare and other fields where precise timing is vital

Researchers say the fingernail-sized devices could help transform drone warfare and other fields where precise timing is vital