Military scientists Wang Xiaomo and Zheng Zhemin win prestigious award
Prestigious science award given to two key pioneers in defence technologies signals a shift of focus towards military research, expert says
Two scientists who received the state's Top Scientific and Technological Award in Beijing yesterday were the first military researchers to be given the central government's most prestigious science award.
One of them is Wang Xiaomo, the father of China's airborne early warning and control system (AWACS). Wang built domestically developed, electronically steered phased-array radar for the Kongjing-2000 and Kongjing-200, two AWACS planes in service with the People's Liberation Army that have also been exported to countries such as Pakistan.
Also recognised was Zheng Zhemin, a pioneer in the field of explosion physics. Zheng's research gave China some of the world's most destructive warheads, from anti-tank weapons to nuclear devices.
Wang is 74 and Zheng 88, but they are still active on the front lines of research.
Wang oversees more than a dozen research teams that are building the next generation AWACS, Xinhua reported.
Distinguished military researchers are recognised by the government each year but their names and work are rarely made public given the PLA's strict confidentiality requirements. In the National Office for Science and Technology Awards, military candidates were evaluated and voted on by a special division whose members must have high security clearance, according to some scientists familiar with the process. The winners' names and contributions were classified.