China's PLA unveils portable drone-jamming gun at Peace and Friendship 2023 meet

During the Aman Youyi-2023 (Peace and Friendship 2023) multinational military exercise with Southeast Asian countries, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) used a new type of anti-drone rifle. A portable drone reconnaissance and countermeasure system made its debut during joint manoeuvres in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, South China, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Sunday. According to the article, the technology, which resembles a rifle with a scope, can detect, track, identify, and recognise drones flying at low altitudes. The gun weighs 3.5 kilogrammes and has a lithium battery that can last for 2 hours, allowing it to perform directed interference against drones within 1.5 km by establishing a 17-degree interference area, according to CCTV. According to the article, the gun can land or be shot down after disrupting a target. With the rapid advancement of drone technology, not only regular militaries, but also terrorists and pirates, now have easy access to commercial-level drones that can play important roles in patrol, reconnaissance, and even attack tasks, particularly first-person view drones, a Beijing-based military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Monday. The use of such drones has been combat-proven in previous wars throughout the world, according to the expert, who said that these low-flying, slow-flying, and compact drones might become as prevalent in infantry units as handguns and rifles. According to the expert, the recently announced anti-drone pistol appears to be designed to defeat these types of drones.