- China details microwave weapon designed to disable drone swarms beyond 3 km
- Hurricane 3000 uses high-powered microwaves to fry drone electronics
- The system is intended as part of China's layered air defense strategy.
China has revealed new details about a high-powered microwave weapon that it claims can disable swarms of drones at ranges greater than those claimed by comparable US systems.
The truck-mounted system, known as Hurricane 3000, is designed to destroy or shut down drones by frying the onboard electronics with focused microwave energy.
Its developer, state defense contractor Norinco, said the weapon has an effective interception range of more than 3 kilometers against small and light unmanned aerial vehicles.
an iron triangle
“Its effective interception range exceeds 3 km. [1.86 miles] against the light and the small [unmanned aerial vehicles] and drone swarms, putting it at the forefront of similar systems both domestically and internationally,” said Yu Jianjun, a Norinco expert, in comments reported by the South China Morning Post.
Yu said the added range allows the system to go beyond point defense, which protects individual assets at close range, and embrace broader area denial functions.
He said the Hurricane 3000 can operate alone or network with laser weapons and conventional air defense artillery to form what he described as an “iron triangle” against drones.
“This allows it to carry out various air defense missions, including point defense, border and coastal security, and urban public security operations,” Yu said.
High-powered microwave weapons differ from missiles and firearms by emitting wide-area bursts of electromagnetic energy that disable electronic devices almost instantly.
Unlike jamming systems, often described as soft-death tools, microwave weapons physically damage or shut down components inside the drone.
Norinco said the Hurricane 3000 uses radar to detect and track targets before switching to electro-optical sensors for precise visual lock-on.
Once locked, the system radiates microwave energy through an antenna panel to neutralize the target.
Compared to laser-based weapons, which typically attack one target at a time, microwave systems cover a wider area and are considered more suitable for swarm attacks.
The company said such systems have a nearly unlimited magazine, low cost per shot and minimal collateral damage.
The Huracán 3000 has been publicly displayed alongside the smaller Huracán 2000, which has a range of about 2 km.
The US military's comparable system, Leonidas, developed by Epirus, is reported to have an effective range of around 2 km.
Yu said Norinco is also exploring expanded functions for microwave weapons, including disrupting communications, countering aerial reconnaissance and acting as non-lethal denial systems.
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