China is gradually revealing details about its Hurricane 3000 system, a truck-mounted high-power microwave weapon intended to counter drones at ranges that reportedly surpass comparable US capabilities.
The system briefly drew public attention during China’s large-scale military parade in September, where it was displayed without technical explanations, leaving analysts to rely solely on visual cues.
That changed this week when state-owned defense company Norinco released new information describing how the Hurricane 3000 fits into China’s expanding counter-unmanned aerial systems portfolio.
If the claimed performance is verified, the system would move beyond traditional point-defense roles and provide wider area-denial coverage, offering a larger operational footprint than earlier microwave-based solutions.
The Hurricane 3000 uses radar to detect and track aerial targets, then cues electro-optical sensors for precise identification before emitting high-power microwave energy to disable threats almost instantaneously.
Compared with kinetic interceptors, microwave weapons offer an effectively unlimited magazine, extremely low cost per engagement, and reduced risk of collateral damage.
