China’s Groundbreaking Leap: Unveiling Advanced High-Power Microwave Weapons
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22 May China’s Groundbreaking Leap: Unveiling Advanced High-Power Microwave Weapons

Posted at 21:22h in Analysis, English by

By,

Octavio Pérez, Senior Fellow, MSI²

China joins the HPM club with a class act…

When we talk about HPM (high-power microwave) weapons, we are talking about a new frontier of a family of directed-energy weapons (DEW) that includes lasers, microwaves, and potentially particle beam weapons.

These weapons work in the electromagnetic spectrum, with speed of light delivery, and offer an additional layer of defense within the low—to medium-range defenses. They also represent a new technology that will shift warfare in the future. These weapons can be found on all platforms (air, land, sea, and eventually space).

They are precise and cheaper to operate than missile manufacturing. Depending on the platform, the cost per shot could range from less than $100.00 to $20.00. Imagine shooting down a two-million-dollar missile for less than $100. A Patriot missile costs an average of $4 million and is shooting down Shahed drones that cost $35,000.00.

So, these HPM weapons provide an additional layer of defense and tremendous savings on a defense system.

China unveiled three ground-based platforms in November 2024 at the Zhuhai Air Show. Its development was based on the new aspect of war, which has now demonstrated drones’ critical and practical use in combat and long-range strategic attacks.

HPM weapons systems bring another layer of defense using the electromagnetic spectrum and in doing so, can quickly deploy and engage targets when they come in range (2-3 thousand meters / 6,600 to 9,900 feet), which compares to the US Leonidas HPM, which has a range of (100 meters / 328 feet).

These weapons systems offer tremendous cost savings and longer barrel shelf life. For example, an artillery cannon can hold 1,000 to 3,000 shots before it is exchanged, compared to 10,000 shots on an HPM barrel. Granted, these new weapons systems operate with high energy (upwards of 3 gigawatts) on the new Chinese platform, which also reflects on their sustainability compared to conventional weapons.

Credit: Adobe Stock- Standard license on file.

China’s display of the three land-based prototypes leaves the world in awe since they achieve higher ranges, power, and sustainability than current systems developed by the US and its allies.

Basically, the Hurricane 2,000 and Hurricane 3,000 are technological breakthroughs that represent China’s commitment to deploy and maintain its lead in this new gamut of weapons that will redefine future warfare.   

Once again, in space, under the sea, with cable-cutting technology, and on land, China is leading the pack in all aspects of military technology.    

References

TRADOC G2 (2025, Febryary 15). China Unveils New High-Power Microwave Weapon Systems. https://oe.tradoc.army.mil/product/china-unveils-new-high-power-microwave-weapon-systems/

South China Morning Post (2025, April 28) China’s high-power microwave gun fires 10,000 shots in test, proving new vacuum tech. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3307741/chinas-high-power-microwave-gun-fires-10000-shots-test-proving-new-vacuum-tech

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Miami Strategic Intelligence Institute (MSI²).

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