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Anti-drone laser, microwave, missile and artillery weapons appear at China's V-Day military parade

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun, Fan Wei and Liang Rui Published: Sep 03, 2025 01:07 PM

Multiple types of anti-drone equipment were reviewed in formations at China's V-Day military parade on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, addressing the importance of anti-drone warfare on the modern battlefield.

Military affairs experts told the Global Times that the systematic construction of three genres of anti-drone equipment and their comprehensive application can significantly improve anti-drone efficiency. The debut of directed energy anti-drone weapons also indicates that China's new anti-drone technology is at the forefront of the world.

Anti-drone missile and artillery systems, high-energy laser weapons, and high-power microwave weapons reviewed at the parade are a powerful "iron triangle" that can both "soft kill" and "hard destroy" unmanned aerial vehicles.

"Each type of anti-drone equipment has its limitations, but China displayed all three types, indicating that China's anti-drone combat equipment is built as a complete system. Through comprehensive application, the efficiency of anti-drone warfare can be greatly improved," military affairs expert Zhang Xuefeng told the Global Times.

Zhang said that each of the three types has its own advantages, among which the anti-drone missile and artillery systems, taking advantage of the long range and high accuracy of missiles, combined with the dense firepower of anti-aircraft guns, have strong anti-saturation attack capabilities. It is particularly suitable for intercepting operational level loitering munitions, suicide drones or multi-rotor drones.

The Global Times noted that the newly debuted anti-drone missile artillery systems have a high degree of integration, integrating multiple detection methods such as radar and electro-optical sensors, as well as multiple killing methods such as missiles and anti-aircraft guns. The systems can be mounted on military vehicles and can achieve rapid deployment and mobility.

High-energy laser weapons have a distinctly high-tech feel. Zhang said that they can quickly and accurately detect, aim, and track targets. Using high-energy lasers, it only takes a few seconds to shoot a drone down. "This genre of anti-drone systems has high accuracy, minimal collateral damage, the advantage of unlimited ammunition, and very low operating costs, making it the lowest cost anti-drone equipment in a single deployment," Zhang said.

Similar to high-energy laser weapons, high-power microwave weapons are also directed energy weapons. The Global Times learned that the working principle of high-power microwave weapons is to directedly release high-energy electromagnetic radiation to destroy the electronic components inside drones, causing them to fail or burn out, thereby achieving the goal of eliminating the threat of drones.

"The beam of high-power microwave weapons is wider than the pinpoint strike of high-energy laser weapons. It can cover a whole surface. When facing the attack of multiple targets such as a drone swarm, it can take advantage of the wider beam and higher energy to effectively destroy multiple targets," said Zhang.

"In the anti-drone formations, the directed energy weapons that use laser and microwaves to destroy targets are particularly noteworthy," military affairs expert Wang Yunfei told the Global Times. "Given the large-scale deployment of drones on the battlefield, many countries are now pursuing the development of efficient anti-drone systems and platforms."

Wang further said that the capabilities of the directed energy anti-drone equipment displayed at the military parade may be stronger than previously disclosed equipment of the same type. "Debuting at the parade means that the high-energy laser and high-power microwave anti-drone equipment have fully demonstrated their excellent performance in practical training. This also demonstrates that China's laser and microwave anti-drone technologies are at the forefront of the world," he said.