China has revealed that it has developed a high-power microwave (HPM) system capable of disrupting satellite networks, such as SpaceX’s Starlink.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post, the Northwest China Institute of Nuclear Technology in Xi’an, Shaanxi, has found that the unremarkable TPG1000Cs device could pose a threat to Starlink.
This compact high-power microwave (HPM) driver delivers a staggering 20 gigawatts for a full minute, potentially the world’s first of its kind.
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The TPG1000Cs measures just 4 meters long and weighs 5 tonnes, compact enough for trucks, warships, aircraft, or satellites.
Chinese experts estimate a ground-based version exceeding 1GW could cripple Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit.
Unlike prior systems limited to 3-second bursts and bulky designs, this one sustains output far longer.
What are Microwave Weapons?
High-power microwave weapons have surged in military interest lately as cost-effective, sustainable alternatives to conventional missiles and guns.
These directed-energy weapons generate powerful pulses that induce surge currents in circuits, overloading and frying semiconductors, antennas, or integrated chips without physical projectiles.
A core setup includes a pulsed power source, a microwave generator like a magnetron, and a directional antenna to focus the beam at light speed.
These high-power microvave weapons targets specific frequencies for precise electronics disruption over longer ranges. Their broad-spectrum attacks on unknown systems are ideal for drones or swarms.
The changing face of modern warfare
Recently, the face of warfare has completely changed. The recent Operation Absolute Resolve by the USA on Venezuela in early January started the debate around high-power microwave weapons.
The US President also revealed that the US possesses a secret new weapon, ‘Discombobulator’. The weapon combines high-power microwave pulses to disable electronics, like radars and missile guidance, via surge currents that freeze semiconductors without physical damage.
Similar claims surfaced after the 2020 Galwan clash between Indian and Chinese troops that China used a high-power microwave weapon during the June 15 Galwan Valley clash with India, but Indian authorities dismissed them as fake news.
But now, with the recent revelations, the demand for owning high-power microwave weapons has risen rapidly.
China has developed advanced high-power microwave weapons like the Hurricane 3000, a truck-mounted high-power microwave (HPM) weapon system developed by China’s Norinco for countering drone swarms.
Now the TPG1000Cs, which is capable of destroying starlink Satellites, which China has repeatedly called a ‘threat to national security’.
Unlike earlier HPM tech limited to 3-second bursts at 1GW, this sustains output 10x higher, enabling effective ground-based attacks on low-Earth orbit satellites like Starlink by frying electronics.
