China’s high-power microwave gun fires 10,000 shots in test, proving new vacuum tech

Successful trials of gun that emits beams capable of attacking drones, missiles and more signal breakthrough in directed-energy weaponry

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Researchers at the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology built the technology and conducted the trials that have been documented in a peer-reviewed study. Photo: SCMP

Published: 9:00pm, 28 Apr 2025Updated: 10:04pm, 28 Apr 2025

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.

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.

Traditional artillery barrels require replacement after a few thousand rounds, but “experimental results show that the system can run more than 10,000 shots stably”, the researchers said in the paper. An earlier study, also from China, reported 5,000 shots.

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