Japan, US near deal to jointly develop high-power anti-drone microwave weapons

“Drones are now being used as weapons as well as in intelligence-gathering, monitoring and communications roles, and it is fair to say that from now on, no war will be fought without drones,” said Kazuto Suzuki, a professor of science and technology policy at Tokyo University.

“They have already proved to be very useful and very effective on the battlefield and there are many benefits to using drones, including not incurring casualties on the user’s side and having a relatively inexpensive drone being able to target and destroy enemy weapons systems that can be worth many millions of dollars,” he told This Week in Asia.

A microwave weapon is designed to produce an electromagnetic wave that can cause the internal electronic components of a drone to malfunction. The technology is not new and microwave ovens have been a fixture in kitchens around the world for decades, but weaponising electromagnetic waves is a more recent development.

The advantage of microwave weapons is that they are able to “blanket” an area of inbound drones, whereas conventional ammunition and anti-aircraft missiles are more pinpoint weapons, analysts say. Microwave weapons are also just as effective against small drones, which might evade detection by radar or human vision, as larger unmanned vehicles.

And as long as they have a power source, microwave weapons can keep up a constant barrage of waves instead of having to be reloaded. This also makes them a cheaper form of defence.

“A lot of countries are now working on how they can counter drones, with Japan beginning back in around 2015 under then-prime minister [Shinzo] Abe,” said Garren Mulloy, a professor of international relations at Daito Bunka University and a specialist in military issues.

“We have