China Develops Compact High-Power Microwave System Potentially Targeting Low-Earth-Orbit Satellites
Chinese researchers have reportedly developed a groundbreaking compact high-power microwave (HPM) driver that could enable advanced directed-energy weapons capable of disrupting or damaging satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). The system, designated TPG1000Cs, was detailed in a study published by scientists from the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology (NINT) in Xi’an, a facility linked to China’s military.
Key features of the breakthrough include:
- Power output: Up to 20 gigawatts (GW) in electrical pulses, sustained for bursts as long as 60 seconds—far exceeding previous systems limited to seconds or less.
- Compact design: The device measures about 4 meters long and weighs only 5 tons, making it mountable on trucks, warships, aircraft, or potentially other platforms.
- Efficiency gains: Achieved through advanced liquid insulating materials (e.g., Midel 7131), enabling higher energy density, better insulation, and reduced losses.
Experts estimate that a ground-based HPM weapon exceeding 1 GW could severely interfere with or damage LEO satellite networks. This has led to speculation about its potential as a “Starlink killer,” targeting large constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink, which operates thousands of satellites in LEO for global broadband. Chinese media and researchers have explicitly framed the technology as a counter to such proliferated LEO systems, which they view as dual-use (civilian-military) assets.
HPM weapons work by emitting intense electromagnetic pulses that can overload, jam, or permanently fry onboard electronics—disrupting communications, navigation, sensors, or command links without kinetic destruction. Unlike traditional anti-satellite missiles (which create debris risks), HPM offers a “soft-kill” or non-kinetic option that is harder to detect and attribute.
Details on full system capabilities, operational deployment status, or testing against actual satellites remain unconfirmed and classified. The TPG1000Cs is described as a driver (power source) for an HPM weapon, not a complete operational system. No independent Western verification of its performance exists, and claims originate from Chinese state-affiliated sources and media (e.g., South China Morning Post coverage in early February 2026).
This development adds significant tension to ongoing global debates on space security:
- Space has become a critical strategic domain for major powers (U.S., China, Russia), with satellites underpinning military C4ISR, navigation (GPS/Beidou), and commercial services.
- Anti-satellite tools—including HPM, lasers, co-orbital systems, and cyber capabilities—raise risks of escalation, debris cascades (Kessler syndrome), and collateral damage to civilian/commercial infrastructure.
- Any use against constellations like Starlink could disrupt global internet, financial systems, emergency communications, and allied military operations.
Governments typically keep specifics classified to maintain strategic ambiguity, but reports like this highlight the accelerating arms race in directed-energy and counterspace technologies. Analysts warn that such systems could lower thresholds for conflict in space while complicating deterrence and arms control efforts.
References
- South China Morning Post. Chinese scientists build world-first 20GW microwave weapon that can fire 60-second bursts (February 2026).
- Euronews. China develops compact microwave driver that could power a ‘Starlink-killer’ weapon (February 6, 2026).
- Asia Times. China’s ‘Starlink killer’ new cutting edge of microwave weapons (February 2026).
- High Power Laser and Particle Beams journal. Study on TPG1000Cs compact pulse-power driver (2025–2026 publication).
- RAND Corporation. Chinese Military Views of Low Earth Orbit: Proliferation, Starlink, and Desired Countermeasures (prior analysis with ongoing relevance).
- Various reports on China’s counterspace capabilities (Defense Intelligence Agency, U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, 2025–2026).