28-04-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
China's high-power microwave gun fires 10,000 shots in test, proving new vacuum tech
Chinese
scientists have reached a milestone in directed-energy
weapon technology , successfully testing a compact
high-power microwave (HPM) system capable of firing over 10,000 times without failure, according to a new study.
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The feat leverages the latest vacuum-sealing technologies in
China 's high-end manufacturing sector to overcome long-standing barriers in HPM durability and miniaturisation, with potential to shift the balance in the global race for next-generation
warfare systems
Defence researchers with the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology (NINT) built the technology and conducted the trials, which were documented in a peer-reviewed study published in this month's issue of
High Power Laser and Particle Beams.
The microwave gun weighs significantly less than traditional HPM weapons and is powered by a three gigawatt-pulsed current, according to the researchers.
Its exact dimension remains unknown, but a diagram in the paper suggests a size comparable to a Gatling gun.
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