High-power microwaves: Neutralizing drone swarms at once
– Japan’s ATLA to introduce “astonishing new weapon”
– Newly unveiled high-power microwave (HPM) weapon
Summary from article published in Vehicle News.
ATLA:
On January 30, 2025, the ATLA released a new image of the “high-power microwave” (HPM) weapon.
An article introducing HPM was published in the “Research and Development Brochure” introducing the ATLA development project.
Neutralizing drone swarm attacks:
Drones are currently wreaking havoc in Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defense assumes that “drone swarm attacks” will become a future threat.
Weaknesses of conventional air defense systems:
1. Drones are inexpensive, so counterattacking with conventional, expensive air defense systems would be costly.
2. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an inexpensive air defense system and have a means to counterattack efficiently.
The need for low-cost directed energy weapons (i.e. irradiating targets with high energy) is growing.
Advantages of future air defense systems:
1. Directed energy weapons can strike back instantly against many targets.
2. They are also cost-effective, as they only require electrical energy.
The emergence of “high-power microwave” (HPM) weapons:
1. One such directed energy weapon is high-power microwaves.
2. The Ministry of Defense positions it as a “future game changer.”
Japan’s “high-power microwave” (HPM) weapons:
1. Japan has already prototyped a high-power microwave (HPM) generator.
2. Japan has already conducted counterattack experiments against drones.
In the future, efforts will be made to make them smaller and more powerful, and they will be installed on trucks, ships, aircraft, etc.
In the future, Japan will conduct joint research with the United States.
1. Conduct joint research at testing facilities in the U.S. and share test data between Japan and the U.S.
2. Use both companies’ high-power microwave systems to jointly evaluate the effects on electronic devices, etc.
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/cd5d992e8b539b823a14f41dabb73f5b25cdb523
Japan MoD and United States DoD ：
~Sign a Project Arrangement concerning Cooperative Research
~on Directed Energy High-Power Microwave (HPM) systems
The Japanese Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense:
signed a Project Arrangement concerning Cooperative Research on High-Power
Microwave systems on 15 July 2024.
The project’s objective :
to conduct joint research between Japan and the U.S.
using High-Power Microwave (HPM) system that will serve as a capability game-changer in current and future situations.
This Joint project :
aims to evaluate effects on electronic devices using HPM systems
~ by conducting joint tests in the U.S. test center and sharing the test data,
~ with the aim of realizing a HPM system for Air and Maritime defense.
This project aligns to strategic Japan MoD and U.S. DoD partnership across technologies and capabilities.