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High-power microwave (HPM)

In real life, microwave ovens are the most common kitchen household items, and they bring exceptional convenience in heating food. So what exactly is microwave? Microwave is a high-frequency electromagnetic wave with a wavelength range of 1mm-1m and a frequency of 0.3-300GHz. It has many light-like characteristics, such as propagating in a straight line at the speed of light in the air.

High-power microwave (HPM) refers to strong electromagnetic pulse radiation with a peak power of more than 100MW and a center frequency of 300MHz-300GHz. High-power microwave weapon is a new concept electronic countermeasure weapon system. High-power microwave weapons, also known as radio frequency weapons, are directed energy weapons that use high-power microwave beams to destroy enemy electronic equipment.

Since the 1960s, the United States and Russia (Soviet) have launched a long-term military competition in the field of high-power microwaves. In the 1970s, the United States repeatedly protested the Soviet Union's use of microwaves to irradiate US embassies abroad. Since then, microwave weapons have been used in combat. So far, developed countries in the world, such as the United States, Russia, Germany, and France, have carried out in-depth research on high-power microwave weapon technology, and increasingly put it into actual combat applications. On the whole, high-power microwave weapons are like "three sharp axes", forming multiple attacks on the battlefield, that is, killing and injuring enemy personnel, destroying electronic equipment, and attacking stealth weapons.

In terms of killing enemy personnel, the killing principle of high-power microwave weapons is divided into "non-thermal effect" and "thermal effect". Non-thermal effect refers to when the intensity of microwave irradiation is low, the physiological function of combat personnel on the battlefield is disturbed (such as irritability, headache, memory loss, neurological disorder, and heart failure, etc.). Thermal effect refers to the burning of human skin, eye cataracts, severe burns and deaths of the internal tissues of the skin under high-frequency microwave irradiation.

In terms of destroying electronic equipment, high-power microwave weapons can destroy electronic equipment in various weapon systems, causing them to lose combat effectiveness. This is also known as the non-nuclear electromagnetic pulse effect. Such as sensors and electronic components, make the components produce state reversal, breakdown, error codes, memory information erasure, etc. Strong electromagnetic radiation will make the entire communication network out of control. This is because the large pulse power exceeds the rated value of sensitive components, and the equipment will be permanently damaged due to overload.

Compared with laser weapons, microwave weapons have a longer range, are less affected by weather conditions, and have a much wider beam. When attacking, only the approximate direction needs to be determined, and precise aiming is not necessary. It is easy to control fire. The high-power, wide-angle electromagnetic wave pulses (mostly fan-shaped or cone-shaped) radiated by microwave weapons have the ability to kill on a large area and can act as a "shield" to defend the entire cluster. In addition, because the microwave beam has a certain directionality, it can avoid damage to friendly electronic equipment.

The military has accelerated the development of new methods, new technologies, and new weapons for countering unmanned aerial vehicles. The military believes that for a swarm of drones that act in concert, shooting down a few of them cannot eliminate the threat at all. China must develop a weapon system that can eliminate a large number of drones at once, and high-power microwave weapons may become anti-intelligence weapons. The best choice for human systems and clusters.

The US military calls high-power microwave weapons a new concept weapon that "changes the rules of the game." High-power microwave weapons, also known as radio frequency weapons, are directed energy weapons that use high-power microwave beams to destroy enemy electronic equipment and kill enemy combatants. It can radiate high-power microwaves through a high-gain antenna in a very short time. , The microwave energy is concentrated in a very narrow beam to form a high-power, energy-concentrated and directional microwave beam, which irradiates the target with extremely high intensity, interferes with or damages the electronic components of the target device, and causes it to fail.

The operating frequency of high-power microwave weapons ranges from 300 MHz to 300 GHz, and the pulse peak power can be above 100 megawatts. It has the advantages of speed of light propagation, low aiming accuracy requirements, and simultaneous killing of multiple targets. It can use electrical, thermal, and biological effects to perform soft and hard killings on various targets, and enter the enemy's electronic system through the front and rear doors coupling, interfere with or damage important sensors, destroy key electronic components, and interfere with or destroy computers and communication systems. It poses a great threat to weapon equipment systems such as radar, navigation, communications, and battlefield perception, and is an important attack weapon in information confrontation.

At the 2016 National Science and Technology Awards Conference, Huang Wenhua, a scientific researcher who came out of Wanxi Village, Xinzhuang Town, Yifeng County, led his team to develop a new concept technology achievement that won the first prize. The results of this research will add a new barrier to China's national defense security. Huang Wenhua, the current deputy director of a research institute in Northwest China, told reporters that this is a supreme honor. This technology fills the gaps in related fields in China and is also the first internationally.

Huang Wenhua has been engaged in research in the field of directed energy technology since 1992. In China, the exploration of this field basically starts from scratch. With more than 20 years of persistence and hard work, Huang Wenhua and his team finally achieved success. In 2010, as an original achievement of our country, the field test of the project was successful. After another 6 years of application and improvement, it finally won the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. The results will have significant application potential in national defense construction, economic construction, and industrial production.