China’s energy weapon fires thousands of intense pulses in tests and survives: study

Chinese scientists overcome technical hurdles in the development of a compact, powerful microwave weapon

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High-power microwave weapons use directed energy to hit their targets. Now Chinese scientists have developed one that is compact and capable of extremely high power attacks. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 2:00pm, 14 Jan 2025Updated: 4:31pm, 14 Jan 2025

China has overcome a significant technical hurdle in the development of a compact yet extremely powerful directed energy weapon.

This high-power microwave (HPM) weapon – which is still in laboratory testing and not ready for immediate deployment in the field – is capable of generating electromagnetic pulses with an intensity comparable to a nuclear explosion, which can disrupt or even destroy electronic components within enemy weapons systems.

The US military has announced plans to deploy HPM weapons in the Indo-Pacific region this year, targeting Chinese satellites. These weapons employ traditional dish-shaped antennas and require constant rotation to engage different targets.

The new Chinese weapon uses phased-array transmission technology instead to “precisely focus energy, increasing its effective range and enhancing damage effects, enabling simultaneous attacks on multiple targets”, according to researchers involved in the project.

Such a weapon was once deemed impossible because the pulses it generates could potentially destroy itself.

The electromagnetic waves generated by this Chinese energy weapon can reach or even exceed a total power of one gigawatt.

The rotating electromagnetic waves it generates need to be converted precisely into a more stable state and evenly distributed to eight independent channels for phased-array antennas.