The ongoing war in Ukraine has changed the face of battlefields forever. The widespread use of drones has left traditional air defenses scrambling; launching missiles that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to counter threats that might cost only a few hundred dollars is impractical. Extend this to counter drone swarms, and the logistics, costs and effectiveness of such systems drop even further. This is why systems like Israel’s Iron Beam laser weapon, which can destroy drones for a few dollars “a pop”, are being developed and put into combat service.
China’s Hurricane 3000 system is another new weapon developed to address the growing use of drones in combat. However, unlike Israel’s laser-based system, the Hurricane 3000 system uses microwaves to disable drones and swarms of drones at distances exceeding 3 kilometers (1.9 miles). This is a similar weapon to the US military’s Leonidas microwave weapon, although China claims the 3000’s reported range of more than three kilometers is more than a kilometer longer than the Leonidas system.
The 2024 Zhuhai Airshow was the first public glimpse of the new system, and it was later unveiled during a military parade in Beijing in September 2025. More recently, Norinco, the Chinese state contractor that developed the system, revealed some of the technical details of the system and its intended role. Both systems are mounted on the vehicle and can be operated independently or networked into a cohesive air defense system with missile, laser and artillery units.
Read more: Every Japanese aircraft carrier sunk in WWII
How high-powered microwaves disable drones
US Leonidas High Power Microwave Weapon – Epirus/YouTube
The history of war is not just a story of conflict; it is also often a story of an arms race that can see drama. The increasing use of drones on the battlefield amply proves this point, as weapon manufacturers claim to come up with practical solutions to address this threat not only effectively, but also cost-effectively. The use of high power microwave weapons (HPM) is an area where developers have thrown a lot of resources, and the Chinese weapon is the latest manifestation of this.
Unlike laser or kinetic weapons, HPMs are designed to overwhelm a drone or a UAV’s electronic systems using bursts of concentrated electromagnetic energy. These bursts travel at the speed of light and can cause drones to malfunction in a number of ways, including EMI-induced timing errors and physical damage to electronic components. Another characteristic of such weapons is their versatility; advanced systems like Epirus’ Leonidas can not only target specific drones, but have already disabled a swarm of 49 drones in seconds. And as long as they have power, the other main advantages of these weapons are a bottomless supply of ammo and an exponentially lower employment cost.
The fact that these beams travel at the speed of light allows for a quick response once a target is detected and tracked. This makes them effective against fast, low-flying drones that are difficult (and potentially expensive) to intercept using traditional air defense methods. However, the system is not flawless; it is generally considered to be a line-of-sight weapon, and its effectiveness can be reduced with effective shielding.
Hurricane 3000
The Hurricane 3000 and its smaller Hurricane 2000 variant are mobile, truck-mounted systems that have moved from the experimental stage to field deployment and were unveiled at China’s 2025 V-Day Military Parade. The more advanced Hurricane 3000 system has a longer range, improved tracking, detection and fully automated combat capabilities. Overall, according to Yu Jianjun, a Norinco expert, the 3000 represents a “comprehensive upgrade in combat performance compared to the Hurricane 2000.”
The system uses radar to detect threats at greater distances. Once detected, the system switches to optoelectronic sensors to guide microwave antennas to the target. However, it is not designed to replace existing air defenses. Rather, it is intended to complement existing “traditional” missile and artillery systems to form an “iron triangle” drone defense system, with each system being used to its own strengths.
While the main goal of the development program was to develop an effective way to counter the drone threat, Norinco says it wants to explore other potential applications for the platform. Mr Yu said that among the options being explored are using the weapon to counter electronic warfare aircraft, disrupt communications, counter precision weapons and is proposed as a non-lethal active denial system against people. The latter is a beam of focused energy that can cause recipients to experience an intolerable burning sensation that has minimal risk of injury.
In short, the Hurricane and similar weapons exist because shooting multi-million dollar missiles at hobby-grade drones has stopped making sense.
Want the latest tech and automotive trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides and tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a favorite search source on Google.
Read the original article on SlashGear.