Russian and Chinese development of radiofrequency directed energy weapons (RF DEW) for counterspace

The Numizmat satellite tv for pc launched by Russia in 2022 features a UWB and HPM payloads[4]

by Markos Trichas and Matthew Mowthorpe
Monday, Might 12, 2025

Excessive-power microwave weapons deployed in area have been underneath analysis and improvement by each Russia and China for the final three many years. Their devastating potential has maybe not acquired as a lot consideration as different ASAT capabilities that, in our evaluation, are additional behind in improvement. That is regardless of the launch by Russian of the Numizmat satellite tv for pc, which is taken into account to be a attainable developmental radiofrequency directed vitality weapon.[1]

The next desk reveals the space-based ASAT which might be in presently in orbit. Nivelir, the co-orbital ASAT system thought-about probably the most mature and technically operational ASAT system, has acquired probably the most commentary from each US and UK House Instructions. To a lesser extent the Chinese language SJ-21 grappler satellite tv for pc, which carried out ASAT-useful actions in GEO, has acquired various official press statements. Nevertheless, the Numizmat satellite tv for pc pales into insignificance when looking for official press statements condemning or highlighting Russia’s revolutionary achievement in area. The rationale for this paucity of acknowledgement is unclear. This text analyses Russia’s latest launch, alongside the pursuit by China of comparable capabilities to be used in area.

Desk 1: Russia and Chinese language ASAT Capabilities in House[2]

Russia’s RF DEW counterspace improvement

Russia efficiently launched on August 1, 2022, Kosmos 2558 (Numizmat), a possible RF directed vitality weapon. Radiofrequency weapons are usually labeled in two predominant teams: narrowband or high-power microwave (HPM) units and ultra-wide band (UWB) or beamless units, that are able to being utilized in an ASAT position. Protecting measures in opposition to nuclear EMPs, similar to radiation hardening and making certain delicate electrical parts are shielded behind such “hardening” of the satellite tv for pc bus, should not as efficient in opposition to HPM and UWB weapons due to the upper frequencies and shorter pulse instances.[3] Russia has deployed each a UWB analyzer and a HPM payload as will be seen from determine 2.

The damaging capabilities of RF DEW in area have been highlighted in JPL’s personal satellite tv for pc design handbook when it declared that any penetration of a satellite tv for pc physique, such because the satellite tv for pc’s star tracker used for satellite tv for pc orientation, will be an infiltration level for RF DEW to trigger harm. The following influence can usually have additional chain response actions on different digital subsystems. That is extremely tough to foretell and can’t be absolutely simulated both in a vacuum chamber on the bottom or by pc simulations. It might be too late for a satellite tv for pc operator, particularly one which operates a important defensive position similar to an early warning satellite tv for pc, to find the damaging influence of RF DEW and instantly be confronted with a considerably decreased protection of space-based early warning from strategic missiles.

China’s RF DEW counterspace improvement

In 2017, in a report for a listening to of the US-China Financial Safety Assessment Fee, an eminent China safety skilled, Dean Cheng, testified that the Folks’s Liberation Military was pursuing the event of excessive power-output microwaves with a radiated vitality lots of and even 10,000 instances better {that a} radar.[5] This might even penetrate the widely remoted satellite tv for pc programs, that are designed to shielded from the consequences of radiation in area.

Extra not too long ago, the annual House Menace Evaluation by the Middle for Strategic and Worldwide Research highlighted how a number of analysis papers had been documented by Chinese language scientists on army applied sciences, together with microwave applied sciences.[6] This as soon as once more didn’t low cost the army utility of HPM as a counterspace weapon. What’s considerably stunning, given the depth of Chinese language scientific publications throughout a bewildering quantity of subjects, is the absence of publicly obtainable info on particular improvement and testing of those applied sciences. This might point out that the historic curiosity highlighted within the US-China Financial and Safety Assessment Fee, mixed with the devastating potential of HPM in area in opposition to satellites, signifies that China has positioned a cloak of secrecy round their attainable advances into such programs.

In 2022, Chinese language scientists developed a high-power relativistic klystron amplifier (RKA) able to creating brief pulses as much as 5 megawatts within the Ka-band.[7] RKA are applied sciences able to creating high-power microwave beams and have purposes for radars, particle acceleration, and communication programs. The event of the sort of energy permits the potential deployment on satellites able to disrupting and even damaging {the electrical} parts at comparatively shut vary. One other group of Chinese language scientists researched utilizing HPM to guard satellites from in opposition to such applied sciences. It’s unlikely that is in anticipation of a menace from Russia’s Numizmat system, however extra possible a possible menace from the US attainable creating its personal HPM ASAT counterspace functionality.

What’s unknown is the extent of potential cooperation between Russian scientists’ analysis and improvement in area with their satellite tv for pc launch in 2022. The nearer relationship between Russia and China within the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine has opened up the doubtless of cooperation on ASAT capabilities which was as soon as thought-about to be strictly off-limits. In March 2023, one other group of Chinese language scientists reported creating capabilities producing energy ranges of 10 gigawatts to allow them to generate energy ample to drive a high-power microwave beam weapon. This led to a profitable use in February 2024 of a Stirling engine for a high-power microwave beam weapon able to bettering effectivity, which allows longer operation of an ASAT system.

Excessive-power microwave sources

Flux compression turbines (FCGs) are the idea for the technology of enormous electrical energy pulses, whose output is constrained to beneath one megahertz. At this frequency many targets are tough to assault with excessive energy ranges. The extra downside of focusing the vitality will must be overcome.

An HPM system can overcome these issues as its output is tightly targeted, which offers a better means to couple ample vitality on to the goal.[8] Quite a lot of HPM units exist, one in all which is the RKA talked about above that the Chinese language are specializing in. As a weapon, the vircator is healthier suited, because it offers a one-shot system offering a robust single pulse of radiation, whereas on the similar time being mechanically easy, small, and strong, and might function over a broad band of frequencies. The ability ranges vary from 170 kilowatts to 40 gigawatts over frequencies spanning the deci- and centimeter bands. A typical configuration of the vircator is the axial vircator (AV), determine beneath.

Axial digital cathode oscillator[9]

Evaluation

Russia and China are each creating RF DEW (known as high-power microwaves) to be used in area as an especially efficient counterspace weapon. Russia presently is creating such a functionality in area, nonetheless it’s tough to determine the tactic and progress. China at current seems to be researching RKA with the flexibility to supply excessive ranges of lethality for potential deployment in area, and at current, in open supply, doesn’t seem to have launched such a system in area. It’s possible that China will deploy such a functionality within the close to time period. An intelligence hole is the quantity of cooperation between Russia and China on this space; if Russia is offering information to China, this will likely allow China to advance its capabilities shortly as soon as it does launch such a system into area.

Endnotes

1. The time period Radio Frequency Directed Vitality Weapon is the proper terminology for Excessive Energy Microwave. Now we have used the phrases indiscriminately for ease of learn all through the article, because the references frequency confer with HPM.
2. Derived from a number of sources, Bart Hendrickx, Venture Nivelir: Russia’s inspection satellites (part1) The House Assessment 28 April 2025, Jim Shell, The Integrity Flash, ISR College. Together with authors evaluation after all any errors are soley that of the authors.
3. Bart Hendrickx, Russian research on space nukes and alternative counterspace weapons (part 2) The House Assessment, 20 Might 2024.
4. Ibid.
5. Dean Cheng, China’s Advance Weapons, Listening to earlier than the US-China Financial and Safety Assessment Fee, on the one hundred and fifteenth Congress 1st Session, 23 February, 2017. I’m grateful for Dean Cheng for indulging my obscure questions in correspondence. Dean Cheng was co-author of the Pentagon sponsored publication of Chinese language Views of Warfare which is probably the most influential evaluation of Chinese language army views of the as soon as known as Revolution in Navy Affairs on the flip of the century, which sewed the seeds of area being basic as area for warfare.
6. Clayton Swope, Kari A Bingen, Makena Younger, and Kendra Lafave, House Menace Evaluation 2025, CSIS, Washington DC, US.
7. Victoria Samson, Safe World Basis, Annual Counterspace Report (Washington D.C,: United States, 2025)
8. Bahman Zohuir, Directed Energy Beam Weapons, June 2019, Nature Switzerland, 277-278.
9. Bahman Zohuir, Directed Energy Beam Weapons, June 2019, Nature Switzerland, 278.

Professor Markos Trichas is Director Nationwide Safety and Defence House BAE Methods Digital Intelligence. He was beforehand Head of UK Nationwide Eyes Solely House applications at Airbus Defence and House UK. He was at Airbus for 10 years. Prior of becoming a member of Airbus he labored at Harvard CFA/NASA CXC, STFC RAL, and Imperial Faculty London. He holds a PhD in Astrophysics from Imperial Faculty London.

Dr. Matthew Mowthorpe presently works within the Nationwide Safety and Defence House BAE Methods Digital Intelligence. Previous to this, he labored at as House Threats Staff Lead on the UK Nationwide Eyes Solely House Applications at Airbus Defence and House UK. Moreover he labored on the Ministry of Defence for almost twenty years, the place he managed the House Staff analyzing threats to and from House. Dr Mowthorpe has printed in quite a few journals on the weaponization of area and notably printed the e book The Militarization and Weaponization of House printed by Rowman and Little within the US.

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