Dec 2 (Reuters) - Chinese-made lidar sensors could

expose the U.S. military to hacking and sabotage during a

conflict, according to a Washington think tank report released

Monday that calls for a ban on putting those sensors into

American defense equipment.

Lidar sensors use lasers to generate a digital

three-dimensional map of the world around them. While most

commonly found in driver-assistance systems in the automotive

industry, they are also used in critical infrastructure such as

ports, where they help automate cranes.

The U.S. military is also considering how to put the

technology in autonomous military vehicles. But the Foundation

for Defense of Democracies said in a report that lidar sensors,

typically connected to the internet, use advanced processors

that could allow for the concealment of malicious code or

firmware backdoors that are difficult to detect.

Such "hardware trojans" could be exploited by China's

government, which under Chinese law can force companies to

comply with state security directives. Satellite-based laser

systems could also be used to trip or disable such sensors in

fractions of a second over broad swaths of U.S. territory, the

foundation said.

"While Chinese LIDAR sensors may be cheaper, the obvious

long term costs of sabotage and surveillance far outweigh the

savings," Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the foundation and

one of the report's authors, told Reuters.

The foundation recommended that U.S. lawmakers ban the

procurement of Chinese lidar in defense gear and that U.S. state

governments ban its use in critical infrastructure. The think

tank also recommended that U.S. policymakers work with allied

countries such as Germany, Canada, South Korea, Israel and Japan

to create an alternative lidar supply chain to China.

While several prominent lidar suppliers such as Valeo,

Luminar Technologies ( LAZR ) and Aeva Technologies ( AEVA/WS ) are

based in Europe or the United States, China has also become a

major player in the industry with firms such as Hesai Group

.

The U.S. Department of Defense in October signaled it plans

to put Hesai back on a list of companies it says work with the

Chinese military.