An expert has claimed China deployed a microwave weapon against Indian troops. Photo / Getty
An expert has claimed China deployed a microwave weapon against Indian troops. Photo / Getty
The terrifying impacts of China's new microwave weapons have been revealed, with the country's army reportedly scattering incapacitating enemy troops in minutes with the secret device.
An international studies professor in Beijing has claimed China used the weapon against Indian soldiers during a standoff along the disputed Himalayan border.
Jin Canrong, professor of international relations at Renmin University, told his students Chinese forces forced the Indian soldiers to retreat by turning "the mountain tops into a microwave oven", according to The Times.
Microwave weapons work much the same as regular microwaves. The device heats the water in the human target's skin, causing immense pain and nausea.
The weapon is meant to incapacitate enemies through severe pain but isn't meant to cause lasting damage.
Indian Army convoy moves towards the disputed area. Photo / Getty
Jin said the reason China didn't publicise the event was because it was so successful, adding that India also kept the incident under wraps because "they lost so miserably".
India and China have been locked in an intense standoff over their shared border near Ladakh for more than six months, with the conflict recently leading to bloodshed.
In June, the two groups clashed in the Galwan Valley, with soldiers fighting each other with sticks and clubs in a deadly brawl.
The clash killed 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers, resulting in the first fatal confrontation between the parties since 1975.
Jin claimed China decided to employ the microwave weapon after India seized two critical hilltops in August after launching a surprise attack with Tibetan soldiers, who are known for their strong mountaineering abilities.
He claimed hand-to-hand combat in the high altitude wasn't an option for the Chinese soldiers, many of whom were from lowland areas and couldn't match the Tibetan soldier's mountaineering skills.
Activists demonstrate against Chinese President Xi Jinping during a protest against the killing of 20 Indian Army soldiers in Ladakh. Photo / Getty
With the ban on gunfire still in place, this forced them to come up with a different plan.
"The central military commission was quite furious, 'How could you be so careless as to let India seize the hilltops?', so it ordered the ground be taken back, but it also demanded that no single shot be fired," Jin said.
"Then they came up with the clever idea to use microwave weapons."
India has since branded claims of the microwave weapon attack "fake news", with the Indian Army saying the recent report from the Times was "baseless".
Similar microwave technology aimed at incapacitating but not killing targets have been developed by other militaries.
The US used the same technology to develop the Active Denial System, which was designed to be used for area denial, perimeter security and crowd control.
The device was deployed by the US military in the Afghanistan War but was reportedly withdrawn without seeing combat.
Recently, Russia was accused of using its own secret microwave weapon to attack two CIA agents in Australia.
It comes after American officials in Cuba fell in with what was dubbed "Havana Syndrome", with victims often hearing strange sounds, before becoming dizzy, suffering headaches, experiencing memory loss and hearing loss.
The diplomats always first experienced these symptoms while they were at home or in hotels.
In some extreme cases victims became wheelchair bound, while others were forced to wear weighted vests to correct their balance.
These incidents were first reported in 2016 and since then multiple officials have experienced similar illnesses.
The US developed the Active Denial System as a way to respond to a hostile crowd in a nonlethal way. Photo / AP
According to a report in GQ Magazine published on October 20, 2020, similar attacks were also detected in Australia on CIA agents, with one of the agents among the top five highest-ranking officials in the organisation.
The report claimed the two men were in Australia to hold talks with ASIO and other intelligence agencies under the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance.
"While in their hotel rooms in Australia, both of the Americans felt it: the strange sound, the pressure in their heads, the ringing in their ears. According to these sources, they became nauseous and dizzy," the report read.
"They then travelled on to Taiwan to meet with intelligence officials there. They felt it again while in their hotel rooms on the island."
Mobile phone data reportedly revealed agents from Moscow's Federal Security Service (FSB) were near the CIA agent's hotel rooms when they suddenly fell ill.
Multiple US officials have experienced similar sudden illnesses over the years, with many suffering ongoing medical issues as a result.
Over the years multiple CIA and White House officials have been the victims of what appears to be targeted attacks, with many claiming Russia was likely behind the mystery events.
Despite this, the CIA has refused to officially accuse Russia of being involved, saying the government has "not yet determined a cause or an actor".
