Beijing is investing heavily in electromagnetic pulse electronic warfare to neutralize drones, aircraft, and infrastructure. The United States and Europe are trying to keep up.
Summary
China’s rise in the field of electronic warfare is quietly transforming the global military balance. Beijing is developing both high-altitude nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons and high-power microwave (HPM) systems capable of remotely frying the electronics of drones, missiles, and fighter jets. These technologies are central to its doctrine of “computerized warfare,” which aims to achieve information superiority by paralyzing the adversary without conventional firepower. The United States and several European countries are accelerating their own programs, such as the THOR, Leonidas, and RapidDestroyer systems, but acknowledge that they are lagging behind in terms of capability. The potential effects on military drones, fighter jets, and critical infrastructure are considerable: instantaneous sensor failure, loss of communications, and immobilization of entire fleets. In this context, the question is no longer whether these weapons will be used, but who will be the first to have effective protections and truly hardened air defense systems against these lightning-fast attacks.
The new race for pulsed electronic warfare
At the heart of this new military revolution is the ability to strike enemy electronics rather than the physical structure of weapons. Electronic warfare is no longer limited to jamming radars or radio communications; it now aims to simply destroy electronic components via an intense electromagnetic pulse.
Since at least 2017, China has been deploying high-power microwave weapons capable of generating energy pulses that saturate electronic circuits. According to an analysis citing RAND research, approximately 90% of global patents related to HPM weapons are held by Chinese or affiliated organizations, which gives an idea of the technological advantage Beijing is seeking.
For Beijing, the objective is clear: to be able to neutralize an adversary’s military logistics even before conventional combat begins. In this scenario, a well-positioned HPM strike near an air base or critical logistics hub could ground dozens of aircraft, cut off command networks, or disrupt air defenses, without causing any visible damage such as craters or debris.
The physical principle of an electromagnetic pulse
From nuclear EMP to high-power microwave weapons
There are two main types of threats: high-altitude nuclear EMP (HEMP) and HPM-type directed energy weapons.
A HEMP results from the detonation of a nuclear warhead at an altitude of several tens of kilometers. Gamma radiation interacts with the atmosphere and generates an electromagnetic wave that propagates over vast regions, potentially on a continental scale. The voltages induced in power lines and electronic circuits far exceed normal tolerance margins and can render much of a country’s critical infrastructure (power grids, transportation, telecommunications) unusable. China is modernizing its nuclear arsenal and, according to several assessments, could double the number of its warheads by 2035, which includes the possibility of warheads dedicated to this type of use.
HPM systems, on the other hand, do not require a nuclear warhead. They concentrate electrical energy and then release it in the form of a focused microwave wave, generally in a frequency band ranging from a few hundred MHz to several GHz. This wave couples into the cables, antennas, data buses, and electronic cards of the targeted systems, causing power surges, local heating, and destruction of sensitive components.
An effect on electronics at the speed of light
One of the strategic advantages of HPMs is their near-instantaneousness. The wave propagates at the speed of light. A well-designed system can “sweep” an airspace and simultaneously disable several targets, whereas an anti-aircraft missile can only deal with one or two targets at a time.
American demonstrations give a taste of this: Epirus’ Leonidas system recently neutralized 61 out of 61 drones in a live firing test, including 49 in a single pulse, confirming the ability of HPMs to deal with entire swarms. Similarly, the US Air Force Research Laboratory’s THOR (Tactical High-power Operational Responder) demonstrator has shown that a properly directed microwave beam can bring down a swarm of small drones in a matter of seconds.
China is seeking exactly this type of effect, but with broader integration: ground-based systems, ship-based systems, cruise missiles, and aircraft, as suggested by several open analyses.
China’s strategy in the electromagnetic spectrum
High-power microwave weapons for the battlefield
Beijing now assumes, in its doctrinal literature, that control of the electromagnetic spectrum is as decisive as control of the skies was in the 20th century. Official documents from the Central Military Commission refer to the desire to “dominate the cyber and electromagnetic domain” at the heart of a “computerized” war.
In concrete terms, this translates into:
- the development of ground-based HPM systems such as the FK-4000, presented in Zhuhai, designed to neutralize swarms of drones and integrate with existing air defense networks;
- the integration of HPM or EMP payloads on cruise missiles and hypersonic vectors, in order to strike strategic targets (bases, command centers, logistics hubs) without having to physically destroy them;
- the extension of these capabilities to the sea, with systems embedded on surface vessels to create an electronic access denial bubble around a naval group.
The HPM option is also attractive from an economic standpoint. A microwave pulse costs much less than a latest-generation surface-to-air missile, making it possible to deal with low-cost threats—modified commercial drones, loitering munitions—without depleting conventional ammunition stocks.
The ambition of cognitive electronic warfare
The Popular Mechanics article that highlighted these developments emphasizes the “cognitive electronic warfare” (CEW) dimension. The idea is to use artificial intelligence to analyze the electromagnetic environment in real time, detect abnormal signals, identify jamming or HPM attacks, and then automatically adapt the response: change frequency, modify the waveform, redeploy antennas.
China is not alone in this field, but it is investing heavily in signal recognition algorithms and distributed sensor networks. The objective is twofold:
- to increase the probability of detecting EM attacks before physical effects occur,
- to use AI to optimize the pulse profile according to the type of target (radar, data link, navigation system).
In this logic, EMP or HPM becomes one component among others in a system of directed energy weapons and jamming, integrated into an automated command architecture.
American and European responses
The CHAMP, THOR, and Leonidas programs
The United States is not new to this field. In the 2010s, it tested the CHAMP (Counter-electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project) program, a cruise missile capable of delivering an HPM pulse to multiple targets along a trajectory.
Today, efforts are focused on anti-drone warfare:
- THOR, an HPM system that can be transported in a 6-meter container, designed for base protection, which neutralized a swarm of drones during a demonstration in 2023;
- Leonidas, developed by Epirus, which has just demonstrated its ability to neutralize more than 60 drones with a single platform, with a $66.1 million contract for the US Army to deliver several prototypes as part of the IFPC-HPM program.
These systems illustrate the US shift towards lightning-fast solutions capable of dealing with overwhelming threats where artillery or surface-to-air missiles reach their limits in terms of cost and rate of fire.
The British RapidDestroyer demonstrator and Europe
In Europe, the United Kingdom announced in 2025 the successful testing of RapidDestroyer, a high-power radio frequency system developed with Thales, capable of neutralizing swarms of drones in tests involving more than 100 aircraft.
The capabilities remain at the demonstrator level for now, but they reflect a growing awareness that without HPM countermeasures, European land and naval forces risk being overwhelmed by the proliferation of low-cost swarms and enemy HPM systems.
France, Germany, and Italy are investing more in electromagnetic hardening of platforms, cyber defense, and conventional jamming capabilities. The real leap towards large-scale integrated HPM weapons has not yet been politically decided, but signals from London and Washington are pushing for a rapid reassessment.
Concrete effects on drones, combat aircraft, and infrastructure
Military drones are particularly vulnerable
Modern military drones—from small tactical quadcopters to large MALE systems—rely on an architecture saturated with electronics: autopilots, GPS, data links, and optronic payloads.
When faced with an HPM attack:
- antennas and cables act as “parasitic antennas” that inject the wave directly into the circuits;
- converters, processors, and flash memories can be destroyed by surges of only a few hundred volts;
- the loss of control links leads to an almost immediate crash for non-autonomous drones.
American tests such as those conducted by Leonidas—61 drones neutralized, including 49 in a single pulse—show how quickly a poorly protected swarm can be wiped out in a fraction of a second.
Combat aircraft dependent on all-electronic systems
Contemporary combat aircraft are also totally dependent on electronics: electric flight controls, AESA radars, mission computers, tactical data links. A sufficiently powerful pulse in the vicinity of a base or air theater could:
- damage ground computers during maintenance operations;
- disrupt in-flight navigation systems, or even cause slow and difficult-to-diagnose malfunctions;
- temporarily render entire fleets inoperable, without an enemy firing a single air-to-air missile.
Ground-to-air defenses, radars, C2 systems, and communication networks are no better off: even with basic protections (shielding, filtering, grounding), some of the electronics remain exposed, particularly end-of-line sensors.
For armies and critical infrastructure operators alike, the cost of hardening measures is high: network architecture must be redesigned, layers of shielding added, systems segmented, and analog or “low-tech” redundancies provided for. Estimates for hardening electrical networks in the United States and Taiwan put the cost of these efforts at several hundred million, or even several billion, dollars for an entire country.
A new strategic front for democracies
China’s rise in this field does not mean that Beijing has a definitive monopoly. The United States, the United Kingdom, and, to a lesser extent, continental Europe have a solid industrial and scientific base to catch up some of the ground they have lost.
But the trend is clear:
- attacks are becoming easier to conceal (a truck, container, or ship can carry a discreet HPM system);
- the line between military operations and attacks on civilian critical infrastructure is becoming blurred;
- the cost of entry for non-state actors could fall if civilian or dual-use systems appear on the market.
For democracies, the challenge is not only technological. It is doctrinal and political. Decisions must be made on how much to invest in these offensive capabilities, how to harden entire societies that are dependent on electronics, and how to integrate the EMP/HPM threat into crisis planning, on a par with cyber or hypersonic missiles.
The spectrum war is only just beginning. China has taken a step ahead by integrating these weapons into the heart of its information superiority strategy. The United States and Europe no longer have the luxury of considering EMP as a science fiction scenario: it is now a central parameter of deterrence and survival for air, naval, and ground forces on a battlefield saturated with electronics.
Sources (selection):
– Matt Berman, “China Is Pursuing Electronic Warfare that Can Kill Enemy Weapons Instantly,” Popular Mechanics, February 28, 2025.
– Tin Pak, Yu-cheng Chen, “Could Taiwan Survive an EMP Attack by China?,” The Diplomat, May 7, 2025.
– “Weaponizing the Electromagnetic Spectrum: The PRC’s High-powered Microwave Warfare Ambitions,” China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, May 9, 2025.
– “FK-4000,” China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, presentation at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (Zhuhai Airshow 2024).
– “THOR (weapon),” Air Force Research Laboratory, demonstrations 2019–2023.
– “Epirus Leonidas High-Power Microwave Weapon,” Epirus / U.S. Army IFPC-HPM program, trials 2023–2025.
– “UK tests microwave weapon to disable drone swarms,” Financial Times, April 16, 2025 (RapidDestroyer program, Thales / UK MoD).
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