Forget lasers and missiles, China wants to kill drones using a common tech households use everyday in kitchens all around the world — invisible microwave weapons can fry electronics but still require line-of-sight and proximity
The Hurricane 3000 is a striking truck-mounted system
· TechRadarNews By Wayne Williams published 17 January 2026
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- China details microwave weapon designed to disable drone swarms beyond 3km
- Hurricane 3000 uses high power microwaves to fry drone electronics
- System is intended as part of China’s layered air defense strategy
China has revealed new details about a high power microwave weapon it says can disable drone swarms at distances beyond those claimed by comparable US systems.
The truck mounted system, known as the Hurricane 3000, is designed to destroy or shut down drones by frying onboard electronics with focused microwave energy.
Its developer, state owned defense contractor Norinco, said the weapon has an effective interception range of more than 3km against light and small unmanned aerial vehicles.
An iron triangle
“Its effective interception range exceeds 3km [1.86 miles] against light and small [unmanned aerial vehicles] and drone swarms, placing 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 move beyond point defense, which protects individual assets at short range, and into broader area denial roles.
He said the Hurricane 3000 can operate on its own or be networked with laser weapons and conventional air defense artillery to form what he described as an “iron triangle” against drones.
“This enables it to carry out diverse air defense missions, including point defense, border and coastal security, and urban public safety operations,” Yu said.
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