China Develops 20GW Electromagnetic Weapon Targeting US Starlink

China has long warned that America's Starlink poses a serious threat to national security. The satellite internet service, provided by US space company SpaceX through small low-Earth orbit satellites, operates via satellites positioned at 300-600km altitude that communicate with ground receivers. The service is available in over 150 countries to anyone willing to pay.

The threat became evident in the Ukraine war when Russian forces, which had been illegally using Starlink satellite internet, lost communications after Elon Musk's sudden service cutoff. Approximately 90% of frontline units lost connectivity. Russian military operations suffered significant disruption as their method of equipping drones and missiles with Starlink was completely blocked.

Against this backdrop, Chinese researchers have reportedly developed a high-power microwave (HPM) weapon capable of threatening SpaceX's Starlink satellites. On February 5, Hong Kong media outlet South China Morning Post reported that China has become the first country to develop an HPM weapon capable of outputting up to 20 gigawatts for one minute.

The device, called "TPG1000Cs," was developed by Professor Wang Gang's team at the High-Power Microwave Science and Technology Key Laboratory of the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology (NINT) in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. In their paper titled "Development of a 20GW-class Lightweight and Compact Tesla Transformer Pulse Power Driver," researchers stated they "demonstrated stable operation with peak output of 20GW running continuously for one minute through more than 200,000 operational pulses."

SCMP assessed that TPG1000Cs could become Starlink's "worst nightmare" as the world's first compact driver for high-power electromagnetic weapons. Measuring approximately 4 meters in length and weighing 5 tons, the device is small enough to be mounted on trucks, warships, aircraft, and satellites.

Previously known similar systems could not operate continuously for more than 3 seconds and were much larger. Russia's Sinus-7 driver can deliver approximately 100 pulses at once for about one second and weighs about 10 tons. In contrast, TPG1000C can deliver up to 3,000 high-energy pulses at once while weighing only half as much.

Some experts believe microwave weapons capable of outputting over 1GW could cause serious damage or disruption to Starlink satellites operating in low orbit. SpaceX has recently been lowering satellite altitudes to reduce collision risks, potentially making them more vulnerable to ground-based directed high-power energy weapons.

SCMP analyzed that if China deploys TPG1000C in space, attacks on Starlink would become more lethal and harder to detect, making retaliation difficult.

The research team plans to reduce weight by two-thirds by replacing high-strength steel with aluminum alloy. They also plan to adopt a double U-shaped structure instead of the existing long straight tube design for energy storage components, halving the required space while maintaining the same performance.

China Develops 'Hurricane 3000' Capable of Destroying Drones at 3km Range

China has also reportedly developed an HPM weapon capable of neutralizing drones and drone swarms at distances exceeding 3km. On February 7, SCMP reported on the "Hurricane 3000" HPM system developed by Chinese state-owned defense contractor Norinco.

SCMP evaluated it as a key future warfare defense system capable of neutralizing drones, offering unlimited firing capability and covering wide areas unlike lasers. Hurricane 3000 was first unveiled at China's 80th anniversary Victory Day parade on September 3 last year. This marks the first disclosure of detailed specifications.