Chinese defence supplier Harbin Xinguang Optic-Electronics Technology demo’d two man-portable anti-drone lasers at a Beijing arms expo last week, putting backpack-scale directed-energy hardware alongside the mounted platforms that have so far dominated the space.
The Lijian II and Lijian III, shown at the Defence Information Equipment & Technology Exhibition 2026 that opened last Tuesday, weigh 30kg (66 pounds) and 25kg (55 pounds), draw around 2 kW, and cost about 2 million yuan (US$295,000) each. It also uses AI for targeting.
Each portable unit splits into a laser emitter, an air cooler, and a handheld control terminal, light enough for one or two soldiers to carry. The emitter accounts for about 15kg, and the cooling system for roughly 10kg. Both models have a pitch angle above 90 degrees and reach about 500 meters (1,640 feet). The Lijian III burns through a drone in 4 seconds and needs under 5 seconds to cool before firing again, the company said.
The same line includes a fixed-position model, the Lijian-10G, that draws around 10 kW and reaches 1,200 meters (3,900 feet), but requires a large liquid-cooled box rather than a backpack. Harbin Xinguang said the portable units are “easier to operate and can be quickly deployed and recovered,” in comments from a product promoter as reported by SCMP.
The Lijian series has taken the concept a step further by reducing the weight of its weapons, presenting portable systems alongside those for installation on vehicles and fixed sites.
The portable systems, the Lijian II and Lijian III, have just three main components: a laser emitter, an air cooler and a handheld control terminal.
These components can be stored and carried in a bag. The Lijian II weighs 30kg (66lbs), and the Lijian III weighs 25kg.
Both models have a pitch angle of over 90 degrees, enabling them to flexibly shoot down drones. However, compared with Xinguang’s fixed-position anti-drone model, the Lijian-10G, which has a range of 1,200 metres, the strike range of the portable Lijian II and Lijian III is just 500 metres.
“Our portable anti-drone equipment is small in size, with the emitter weighing 15kg and the air-cooling system weighing 10kg,”
Zhao Yao, a product promoter for the company, said at the exhibition.
“Theoretically, it can be carried and deployed on the battlefield by only one or two people in their backpacks. These individual soldier devices are easier to operate and can be quickly deployed and recovered.”
Zhao said the power use of the equipment was designed to be around 2 kilowatts.
The main technologies used in the series had reached maturity in 2023 as the Ukraine war was reshaping thinking around drone warfare, he said.
Zhao said the Lijian III could burn a drone within 4 seconds and needed less than 5 seconds to cool down before firing the next laser.
However, the portable systems are not cheap, with each model priced at around 2 million yuan (US$295,000).
Fixed ground-deployed laser anti-drone equipment has a higher wattage of around 10kW and a range of 1,200 metres, but it requires a large liquid-cooled box.
The Lijian series can use artificial intelligence to identify targets and engage drones entering its range, guided by external means such as radar, its developer says.
“We can equip these devices with small radars, and they can also be integrated into the entire anti-drone system via external guidance interfaces,” Zhao said.
The company spokesman said the Lijian series had been deployed to facilities in some key areas of China, particularly at military airfields. He said the firm hoped to secure more orders from military bases and airfields via the exhibition.
Song Zhongping, a military analyst and former People’s Liberation Army instructor, said miniaturised laser-based anti-drone systems could be deployed flexibly across various locations by individual soldiers, creating ad hoc air-defence nodes on the battlefield.
“This new weapon can serve as organic support equipment for field units, particularly at the squad and platoon levels, to protect troops from drone attacks at a lower cost than shoulder-fired missiles,” he said.
Song said the development of this weapon reflected China’s progress in miniaturised laser and power-supply technologies, which he said marked a shift from large-scale equipment and experimental concepts to conventional weaponry.
Source: South China Morning Post