WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF
Drones are fast replacing traditional military weapons and defending against them is very hard so new anti-drone weapons are needed.
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In a bold step to counter the growing menace of drone warfare, China has unveiled a cutting-edge air defence system – one it claims is the first of its kind in the world.
The new anti-drone swarm and anti-missile barrage weapon system has been developed to neutralise a broad range of low-flying aerial threats including rockets, helicopters, missiles, and most notably, drone swarms.
What makes it distinctive is its 16-barrel gun, firing not just bullets, but what chief designer Yu Bin calls a “barrage” – a wall of projectiles that can blanket an entire target area.
“This barrage can cover incoming positions of all targets, achieving effective interception with the concept of ‘plane to point’,” Yu explained in an interview with Modern Weaponry magazine, as reported by Global Times, which first unveiled the system in April 2025.
Conventional anti-air systems typically rely on “point to point” interception, aiming directly at incoming threats. But China’s new concept changes the game. It’s essentially the difference between aiming a needle at a thread and throwing a net across the sky.
“This close-in air defence barrage system is a world’s first,” Yu said, adding that it was designed specifically to neutralise aerial threats such as drone swarms, which have overwhelmed traditional defences in recent conflicts.
The prototype, shown off in Modern Weaponry, features 16 tightly clustered barrels and fires “unique munitions.” The system boasts fast reload speeds, high fire density, and a controllable barrage size. According to Yu, its destructive power is matched by its mobility. The system is modular, meaning it can be mounted on trucks, tracked or wheeled armoured vehicles, or even warships.
“Currently available air defence weapons have shortcomings in countering drone swarms. They lack sufficient capability to deal with saturation attacks and suffer from low cost-efficiency. However, the new equipment does not have these shortcomings,” Yu said.
In field trials, a single barrage was reportedly able to take down all small-sized drones, with similar success shown against fast-moving targets like missiles, rockets, mortar shells, and howitzer fire.
The broader context for this rapid military innovation lies in the strategic tension across the Taiwan Strait.
The United States and Taiwan have already begun deploying long-range drones like the MQ-4C Triton and MQ-9B Reapers. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has ordered 3,500 domestically produced drones and plans to create a UAV testing facility in Chiayi County to accelerate its drone supply chain.
Taiwan’s defence plan places drones at the centre of its asymmetric strategy. Larger drones are to be used for surveillance and command support, while mid-range and smaller UAVs will conduct electronic warfare, sensor jamming, and real-time strikes on enemy forces during beach landing operations.
China’s barrage weapon appears tailor-made to counter this evolving threat matrix. Chinese military analyst Fu Qianshao told the Global Times that the new system has “good prospects” not just for domestic use, but also as an export product.
He called it both cost-efficient and highly effective, noting that global battlefields are increasingly shaped by drone threats, which are cheap, mobile, and often difficult to detect.
“The barrage weapon system is not only appealing to domestic users, but it can also be put on the international market, as the battlefields face the increasing threats posed by drones,” Fu said.
With its dense firepower, mobile deployment options, and area-wide interception ability, the new barrage weapon reflects a deeper shift in how nations are preparing for future wars.
It is not just about faster jets or smarter missiles anymore. It’s about flooding the skies with cheap drones – and figuring out how to shoot them all down before they reach their target. And in that race, China just fired one of the first serious salvos.
