China’s state television has released rare footage of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) counter-drone units conducting live-fire drills featuring laser weapons, high-power microwave systems and integrated missile-gun platforms, presenting the three technologies as an “iron triangle” for defending against drone attacks.
CCTV News reported on Sunday that a brigade of the PLA’s 75th Group Army carried out combat-oriented tactical exercises involving multiple scenarios from daytime into the night. The drills tested rapid response, firepower coordination and sustained combat capability, including the ability to relocate and re-establish air-defence positions after being exposed.
During one scenario, air-defence units moved to designated positions after receiving orders. Radar detected a dense swarm of drones approaching at extremely low altitude. Counter-drone units then activated ground-based laser and microwave systems, using optical dazzling and electromagnetic suppression to disrupt the formation. Interceptor drones were launched against targets that penetrated the initial defences, followed by anti-aircraft gunfire against remaining drones, CCTV reported.
Jia Jingcheng, a PLA Army serviceman quoted by CCTV, said the exercise was designed to test coordination between different types of air-defence equipment and personnel’s ability to assess complex aerial threats, respond to unexpected situations and combine different attack methods to address weaknesses in combat readiness.
The exercise then required the troops to withdraw their equipment after controllers declared that their defensive position had been exposed. They relocated, rapidly established a new position and redeployed weapons and camouflage before continuing operations. Radar units were networked for early warning and real-time tracking, while radar, electro-optical and infrared systems continued searching for aerial targets during night operations.
He Qing, another PLA serviceman quoted by CCTV, said the drills combined responses to different aerial threats with battlefield manoeuvring and the management of unexpected situations in the unfamiliar and complex Gobi Desert environment. The stated objective was to strengthen rapid reaction, mobile defence and sustained readiness in both daytime and nighttime conditions.
CCTV described the complementary functions of the three principal counter-drone systems. Laser weapons use high-energy beams to damage airborne drones, while integrated missile-gun systems provide terminal defence against small, slow and low-flying targets. The missile-gun system shown in the footage has a centrally mounted six-barrel rotary cannon and four short-range air-defence missile launchers, combining dense gunfire with precision missile strikes and capable of operating independently or within a networked air-defence system.
The high-power microwave system is mounted on an eight-wheel-drive chassis with a large panel and detection radar at the rear. According to CCTV, it emits microwave pulses capable of damaging drones’ internal electronic components, causing them to fail and fall. Unlike lasers, which engage individual targets, microwave weapons can affect a wider area and engage multiple drones in a swarm.
Chinese military affairs expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times that China’s drone and counter-drone capabilities are among the world’s most advanced after years of development. He said realistic training was helping refine the operational use of the weapons.
CCTV also cited military affairs expert Zhang Xuefeng, who said inexpensive drones posed difficulties for conventional air defences because of their low cost, small size, low flight altitude and limited radar signatures. Long-range air-defence missiles can cost millions of dollars each, while short-range missiles can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, creating an unfavourable cost exchange when used against inexpensive drones.
Song said China had placed considerable emphasis on drones before the Russia-Ukraine conflict, while the conflict had further deepened its understanding of their battlefield role. He said China had developed counter-drone equipment alongside its drone capabilities and would continue testing the systems under realistic combat conditions to optimise their use.
