weapon

There’s a good chance that a horror movie will be nominated for the 2025 best picture Oscar.

And if Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” or Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” make the cut, it will be the first time in the Academy Awards’ 97-year history that a fright film has been nominated in consecutive contests.

It’s long overdue. And if you believe part of Oscars’ purpose is to promote the industry and celebrate its achievements, there’s no better time for the academy to get over its traditional disdain for cinematic monstrosities.

As most other sectors of Hollywood’s film business look precarious — adult dramas, the traditional awards season ponies, are dropping like dead horses at the box office, while attendance for the once-mighty superhero supergenre continues to disappoint — horror has hit its highest annual gross of all time, $1.2 billion, with a good two months left to go.

“Sinners,” released in April, remains in fifth place on the domestic box office chart with $279 million. Its fellow Warner Bros. offerings “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” “Weapons” and “Final Destination: Bloodlines” occupied slots 12 through 14 as of mid-October.

Mia Goth as Elizabeth and Oscar Isaac in “Frankenstein.”

(Ken Woroner / Netflix)

“Horror has been, historically, the Rodney Dangerfield of genres,” notes Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for global media measurement firm Comscore. “It can’t get no respect.

“But horror is very important to the industry on so many levels now,” he continues. “We have four horror movies in the top 15 this year, all of those generating over $100 million in domestic box office. And to make a significant scary horror movie, you don’t have to break the bank. Look at [‘Weapons’ filmmaker Zach Cregger’s 2022 breakout feature] ‘Barbarian’; half of that was shot in a basement.” Similarly, compare “Sinners’” $90 million price tag to “Black Panther’s” $200 million.

Horror’s popularity has gone in cycles since Universal’s run of classic monster movies in the early 1930s. But profitability has been a reliable bet more often than not — and Karloff’s “Frankenstein” and Lugosi’s “Dracula” still resonate through pop culture while most best picture winners of the same era are forgotten.

Still, it wasn’t until 1974 that “The Exorcist” received the first best picture nomination for a horror film, and ahead of the success of “The Substance” at the 2025 Oscar nominations the genre’s fortunes had only marginally improved. Indeed, many of the titles usually cited as a mark of horror’s growing foothold in awards season — “Jaws,” “The Sixth Sense,” “Black Swan,” 1991 winner “The Silence of the Lambs” — are arguably better characterized as something else entirely, or at best as hybrids. (To wit, the sole monster movie that’s won best picture, Del Toro’s 2017 “The Shape of Water,” is primarily considered a romantic fantasy.)

Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

Fright films’ reputation for delivering cheap thrills to undiscerning audiences was often deserved, but there were always stellar horror films that the academy overlooked. And more recently, films such as “The Substance,” “Sinners” and Jordan Peele’s 2017 nominee “Get Out” have pierced ingrained voter prejudices against the genre by adding social commentary and undeniable aesthetic quality without compromising gory fundamentals.

“The horror genre really does seem to be attracting great directors who are immersed in it, have a real auteur point-of-view and make interesting movies that have horror elements but explore other themes as well,” notes The Envelope’s awards columnist, Glenn Whipp. “‘Sinners’ is Ryan Coogler’s vampire movie, but it’s also about the Jim Crow South and American blues music. How can you resist that if you’re an academy voter?”

And with horror packing in filmgoers like no other genre, high-profile nominations could help the Academy Awards broadcast attract the bigger ratings its stakeholders have been desperately seeking at least since “The Dark Knight” failed to make the best picture cut in 2008.

Austin Abrams in “Weapons.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

“That was the whole reason we went to 10 potential nominees,” Dergarabedian recalls. “We wanted to have more blockbuster representation at the Oscars. This may be the perfect storm. If I were an academy voter, I would vote for ‘Sinners’ and ‘Weapons.’ I don’t think that’s an overstatement, given the films that have come out this year.”

Even beyond this “perfect storm,” though, Whipp sees a sea change afoot.

“Everything’s an Oscar movie now if it’s well made,” he says. “Studios aren’t really making traditional, grown-up dramas and the academy can only nominate what’s in front of them. Horror is being produced at a rate that is greater than it used to be, and at least two of these Warner movies really landed with audiences and critics. The genre is attracting some of our top filmmakers right now, and that’s something that will trickle down to the Oscars.”

“This is not a blip,” Dergarabedian concludes. “It’s a trend that feels like it’s happened overnight but it’s been a long time coming. Back in 2017 we had our first $1-billion-plus horror movie box office. If they stop making good horror movies it might be a blip, but I think Hollywood should take this and bloody run with it.”

GYEONGJU, South Korea — The United States will share closely held technology to allow South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, President Trump said on social media Thursday after meeting with the country’s president.

President Lee Jae Myung stressed to Trump in their Wednesday meeting that the goal was to modernize the alliance with the U.S., noting plans to increase military spending to reduce the financial burden on America. The South Korean leader said there might have been a misunderstanding when they last spoke in August about nuclear-powered submarines, saying that his government was looking for nuclear fuel rather than weapons.

Lee said that if South Korea was equipped with nuclear-powered submarines, that it could help U.S. activities in the region.

U.S. nuclear submarine technology is widely regarded as some of the most sensitive and highly guarded technology the military possesses. The U.S. has been incredibly protective of that knowledge, and even a recently announced deal with close allies the United Kingdom and Australia to help the latter acquire nuclear submarine technology doesn’t feature the U.S. directly transferring its knowledge.

Trump’s post on social media comes ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose country possesses nuclear submarines, and after North Korea in March unveiled for the first time a nuclear-powered submarine under construction. It’s a weapons system that can pose a major security threat to South Korea and the U.S.

As Trump visited South Korea, North Korea said Wednesday it conducted successful cruise missile tests, the latest display of its growing military capabilities.

Pentagon officials didn’t immediately respond to questions about Trump’s announcement on sharing the nuclear sub technology with South Korea.

Megerian and Boak write for the Associated Press. Boak reported from Tokyo. AP writer Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report from Washington.

SACRAMENTO — Gun rights organizations filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging a new California law that bans certain types of Glock-style semiautomatic firearms.

The law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week, prohibits the sale of semiautomatic pistols with a “cruciform trigger bar” — a feature that allows gun owners to attach a device, commonly called a switch, that boosts the weapon’s firepower and converts it into a machine gun capable of spraying dozens of bullets in a fraction of a second.

“Newsom and his gang of progressive politicians in California are continuing their crusade against constitutional rights,” John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, said in a statement. “They are attempting to violate landmark Supreme Court decisions and disarm law-abiding citizens by banning some of the most commonly owned handguns in America.”

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, alleges the law violates the 2nd Amendment. Plaintiffs include the NRA, Firearms Policy Coalition, and the Second Amendment Foundation, as well as some individuals and smaller businesses.

The legal action alleges that California’s new law essentially bans the sale of certain Glock-brand handguns and others with similar features that allow modification by owners.

“A law that bans the sale of — and correspondingly prevents citizens from acquiring — a weapon in common use violates the Second Amendment,” the lawsuit states. “Semiautomatic handguns with cruciform trigger bars are not different from any other type of semiautomatic handgun in a constitutionally relevant way. The Supreme Court has already held that handguns are in common use and cannot be banned.”

The lawsuit states the only justification for banning a firearm is when the weapon is “dangerous and unusual” and argues that semiautomatic pistols are neither.

“They are also unquestionably in common use for lawful purposes,” the lawsuit states. “In fact, they are among the most popular handguns in the nation.”

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, who introduced Assembly Bill 1127, said his bill was intended to help protect communities from gun violence.

“Automatic weapons are exceptionally lethal and capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute; they are illegal in California,” he told the Senate Public Safety Committee in July. “Unfortunately, some semiautomatic firearms feature a dangerous design element allowing them to be converted to automatic weapons through the attachment of an easy-to-use device known as a switch.”

Over the last few years, handguns retrofitted with switches were used in several prominent shootings in California, including the 2022 mass shooting in downtown Sacramento that left six people dead and a dozen injured.

Machine gun conversion switches are illegal in the United States and are mostly manufactured overseas. They also can be built at home using 3D printers. Instructions for installing one on a firearm can be found online and require little to no technical expertise.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reported a 570% increase in the number of conversion devices collected by police departments between 2017 and 2021, according to the Associated Press.

WASHINGTON  — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide if licensed guns owners have a right to carry their weapons at public places, including parks, beaches and stores.

At issue are laws in California, Hawaii and three other states that generally prohibit carrying guns on private or public property.

Three years ago, Supreme Court ruled that law-abiding gun owners had a 2nd Amendment right to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon when they leave home.

But the justices left open the question of whether states and cities could prohibit the carrying of guns in “sensitive locations,” and if so, where.

In response, California enacted a strict law that forbids gun owners from carrying their firearm in most public or private places that are open to the public unless the owner posted a sign permitting such weapons.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down that provision last year as going too far, but it upheld most of a Hawaii law that restricted the carrying of guns at public places and most private businesses that are open to the public.

Gun-rights advocates appealed to the Supreme Court and urged the justices to rule that such restrictions on carrying concealed weapons violate the 2nd Amendment.

The court agreed to hear the case early next year.

Trump administration lawyers urged the justices to strike down the Hawaii law.

It “functions as a near-complete ban on public carry. A person carrying a handgun for self-defense commits a crime by entering a mall, a gas station, a convenience store, a supermarket, a restaurant, a coffee shop, or even a parking lot,” said Solicitor General D. John Sauer.

Gun-control advocates said Hawaii had enacted a “common sense law that prohibits carrying firearms on others’ private property open to the public.”

“The 9th Circuit was absolutely right to say it’s constitutional to prohibit guns on private property unless the owner says they want guns there,” said Janet Carter, managing director of Second Amendment Litigation, at Everytown Law. “This law respects people’s right to be safe on their own property, and we urge the Supreme Court to uphold it.”

South Korea reports Pyongyang building up enriched uranium supplies, insists ‘stopping’ its nuclear development ‘urgent’.

North Korea is believed to have accumulated large quantities of weapons-grade uranium, according to South Korea.

Seoul’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Thursday cited an assessment that Pyongyang possesses 2,000kg (about 4,400 pounds) of highly enriched uranium “at a purity of 90 percent or higher”.

If confirmed, the amount would also signal a sharp increase in North Korea’s stockpile of nuclear material.

Intelligence provided by civilian experts reveals that North Korea is operating four enrichment plants, he added.

“Even at this very hour, North Korea’s uranium centrifuges are operating at four sites,” Chung told reporters, only mentioning the known site of Yongbyon, which Pyongyang purportedly decommissioned after talks but later reactivated in 2021.

Foreign experts believe North Korea has built additional uranium-enrichment sites as leader Kim Jong Un has been pushing hard to expand his nuclear arsenal.

The North has long been known to hold a “significant” amount of highly enriched uranium, the key material used to produce nuclear warheads, according to South Korea’s defence ministry.

Enrichment must be pushed to more than 90 percent, the concentration termed weapons-grade, to ensure that the critical mass sets off the chain reaction leading to a nuclear explosion.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), 42kg (92.6 pounds) of highly enriched uranium is needed for one nuclear weapon; 2,000kg would be enough for roughly 47 nuclear bombs.

Chung said “stopping North Korea’s nuclear development is an urgent matter”, but argued that sanctions will not be effective and that the only solution lies in a summit between Pyongyang and Washington.

International diplomacy on ending North Korea’s nuclear programme has stalled since 2019, when high-stakes summitry between Kim and United States President Donald Trump fell apart without any agreement.

Kim said recently that he was open to talks with the US as long as the demand that the North surrender its nuclear arms remains a condition.

North Korea, which conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and is under a raft of United Nations sanctions for its banned weapons programmes, has never publicly disclosed details of its uranium enrichment facilities.

South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June, has promised a more dovish approach towards Pyongyang compared with his hawkish predecessor, Yoon Suk-yeol, saying he will not seek regime change.

Chung said, by designating Pyongyang as the “main enemy” and insisting on denuclearisation first, the previous administration had effectively allowed North Korea’s nuclear capabilities “to expand without limit”.

AFTER a roller coaster few weeks, which saw her publicly battle her ex-husband while enjoying unexpected chart success, Katie Price has found comfort in her large entourage of friends.

Amid her devastating feud with Peter Andre over the welfare of their children, Junior and Princess, she’s continued to tour with pal Kerry Katona, partied with Chloe Ferry and celebrated her single, I Got You, topping the charts with a young group of up-and-coming collaborators. But there’s one person Katie secretly relies upon more than anyone else.

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And that’s her best pal of over twenty years and the woman whose influence in Katie’s life is slowly but steadily becoming more apparent. 

Despite referring to Louisa Anderson-Roy as “extended family”, not a lot of people are aware of just how inseparable the ladies are. And in recent times, fiercely loyal Lou, an aesthetics practitioner and CEO of the LA Hair Skin and Beauty salon, has been working closely with Katie in a bid to overhaul her image and get her public persona back on track. 

Not only has she styled Katie in a series of “classy” ensembles for Katie and Kerry’s ‘Evening With’ tour, Lou was also responsible for connecting Katie with SHAYE, a producer who’s working with her on brand new music. She’s also been attending professional jobs with Katie, including a recent recording alongside Olivia Attwood.

Kate and Lou have been friends forever, and while a lot of people have betrayed her, Kate knows Lou genuinely has her back

Lou’s efforts come after Peter, 52, publicly slated Katie, accusing her of telling “lies and baseless accusations” and claiming their children were placed in his care “for their safety” years before. 

Katie, 47, hit back, saying she “refused to be gaslit” by her former husband – but the damage was done and the former glamour model didn’t come out of the public slanging match very well.

Now sources have revealed just how much of a “secret weapon” mum-of-six Lou is, and why she’s one of only a few people that Katie genuinely listens to. 

“Kate and Lou have been friends forever, and while a lot of people have betrayed her, Kate knows Lou genuinely has her back,” a pal revealed. 

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“But more than anything, Kate trusts Lou’s opinions and judgement. Lou is incredibly influential. She’s been there for all the drama in Kate’s life and she seems to have an instinct for what’s right for Kate.

“Obviously the Pete stuff really p**sed Lou off – she immediately felt protective over Kate and has vowed to step up and help her friend shine. Kate really does see her as a secret weapon – somehow she’s stronger when Lou’s around.”

Indeed Lou has been extremely defensive of her bestie of late. After sharing a picture of them together on social media, a handful of Lou’s followers bodyshamed Katie for her recent weight loss, which some assume to be the result of Ozempic. 

It led Lou to clap back in a lengthy rant. 

“Anyone commenting on any of my posts or pictures with my friend re weight.. Whether it be about someone gaining or losing weight, I really don’t care, but you will be removed..,” she wrote. “You do not know reasons as to why anyone may lose or gain or what’s going on in people’s worlds so don’t be so nasty to point out weight changes! Women should support women.” 

Lou is incredibly loyal…Kate will be grateful for the support.

Our source explained why a message like this would be so important for Katie. 

“Lou is incredibly loyal and won’t stand for any hate on her socials, but more than anything she’s trying to protect Kate,” they said.  “And it won’t go unnoticed. Kate will be grateful for the support. Especially when she’s trying so hard to turn public opinion around in the wake of the Pete mess.” 

Last week Lou reassured Katie’s fans that she would “never do anything for my mate for any kind of recognition or financial gain – never have and never will” and gave a telling insight into their friendship. 

“Its one that’s always been based on total honesty and loyalty to one another and realness throughout some of the toughest moments we have equally both faced in our lives,” she shared on Instagram. “I’ll always support people I love, especially when I see they don’t deserve hate.”

When a follower replied, “I know you have a deep fondness and love for Katie”, Lou responded, “I really do care for those I love.”

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In response to another comment Lou admitted she got “a fair bit of hate” for supporting Katie but added, “I let it go over my head.”  

Lou has been at Katie’s side for many years, staying out of the spotlight to work as a hairdresser, although she has appeared in Katie’s various videos and social media posts. 

‘Fair bit of hate’

One infamous moment in 2020 saw Katie coughing on a pizza to stop Lou from having any of it. Following backlash from disgusted fans, a spokesperson for Katie insisted at the time, “Lou is deemed as extended family – Katie pretending to cough on her pizza is simply making light of life and highlights the sisterhood shared between the pair. It’s not uncommon behaviour when they’re larking about.”

It looks like Katie will need Lou’s shoulder to lean on again this week, following fan backlash when it was revealed she had pulled out of a charity event in order to attend Geordie Shore star Chloe Ferry’s birthday party at the weekend. 

While claiming she was too busy ‘filming’ to attend Milton Keynes Pride last Saturday, the mum of five was instead seen living it up in Newcastle where she was filmed dancing with Chloe and pals. 

Everything you need to know about Katie Price

Step inside the life of former glamour model Katie Price

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The blow comes after a spell of good news for Katie. Not only did her single end up at number one in the iTunes charts following a fan campaign, it’s also been reported that her two youngest children, Jett and Bunny, will move back in with her in November. The pair had been living with their father, Katie’s third husband Kieran Hayler, since 2022.  

As well as that, Katie’s been getting decent reviews for her tour with Kerry, with one punter saying they “loved every minute of the show”. 

This, despite several hiccups, including backlash for vaping on stage, reportedly missing the first half of one show last week and landing herself in hospital after she “accidentally stabbed” herself with a knife while making a curry. 

But one thing is certain, despite all the ups and downs, loyal Lou will be at Katie’s side regardless. 

A very large directed energy laser weapon was among the new capabilities officially rolled out for the first time at a massive military parade in China. Called the LY-1, the laser has so far been described as primarily intended for shipboard self-defense, but was shown at today’s event in a form that also points to land-based applications.

Today’s parade in Beijing was months in the making, and new drones, missiles, and other systems had already emerged during the preparations. The event marked the 80th anniversary of what was then the Republic of China’s victory over Japan during World War II.

Despite its official unveiling today, much about the turreted LY-1 laser, including its power rating, remains unknown. It has a single very large circular aperture for its beam director. There are also multiple smaller circular apertures, some of which would be tied to electro-optical and/or infrared cameras used for target acquisition and tracking. A box-like structure on the right side of the turret (left when viewed from the front) might hold an additional sensor, such as a radar or passive radio-frequency sensor, or other components of the system.

“The LY-1 has sufficient space for power units, meaning that it could have higher power, enabling it to be capable of intercepting not only attacks from unmanned equipment, but also anti-ship missiles, with very low-cost for each interception,” according to a report today from China’s Global Times newspaper, an outlet run by the ruling Chinese Communist Party, citing an independent expert. “Shipborne laser weapons can effectively damage the optical sensors of enemy weapons and equipment.”

“Parade narrators for CGTN, China’s English-language state media outlet, said the LY-1 is capable of ‘precision destruction and consistent strike,’” Business Insider has also reported.

Laser directed energy weapons known to be in development globally typically fall into two categories: so-called dazzlers designed to blind optics, including optical seekers on incoming missiles, and higher-powered designs capable of physically damaging or destroying a target. A high-power type could also be designed to incorporate a low-power capability. The LY-1’s size and configuration, together with the descriptions above, put it firmly in the higher-powered category, and with a primary focus on protecting ships from incoming aerial threats like drones and missiles.

How close the LY-1 might be to entering operational service, and in what form, is also unknown. What looked to be a laser directed energy weapon with a configuration very similar to the LY-1 had been spotted on a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 071 amphibious warfare ship last year, as you can read more about here. Back in 2019, China’s state-run CCTV-7 television network had also broadcast imagery of a laser directed energy weapon with a similar, but more simplified design that was said to be under development for the PLAN.

Shipboard self-defense is a major focus of laser directed energy developments worldwide, including in the United States. In broad strokes, the LY-1 is similar in configuration and size to laser weapons the U.S. Navy has been working to field in growing numbers in recent years, especially the High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler (HELIOS). The system seen on the PLAN Type 071 last year also featured a retractable protective dome to help shield it from the elements when not in use. A laser weapon system that the U.S. Navy tested on the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Dewey in 2012 had a similar enclosure. Another laser was also notably tested on the USS Portland, a San Antonio class amphibious warfare ship, which is roughly analogous to the Type 071.

Broadly speaking, laser weapons hold the promise of largely unconstrained magazine depth, as long as there is sufficient power and cooling. While a single laser can only be focused on one point at a time, a turreted beam can also be readily redirected from one target to the next after the laser has effected its target in a satisfactory manner.

It is worth noting that lasers, in general, are sensitive to environmental factors, including smoke, clouds, rain, or other particles in the air, all which can break up a beam and reduce its effectiveness. The power of that beam already drops as it propagates through the atmosphere and gets further away from the source. When developing a practical and reliable laser weapon system that can stand up to real combat use, especially being battered at sea for months at a time and exposed to salt water spray, the delicate nature of their adaptive optics presents further challenges.

The capabilities laser weapon systems are designed to offer are in high demand for ships, especially amid ever-growing drone and missile threats. Even advanced warships with deeply-layered defensive capabilities are among the most protected but threatened objects on earth. Adding a laser layer for close-in defense is seen as highly adventurous. Shipboard applications also offer their own challenges when it comes to meeting the significant power and cooling, as well as physical space demands.

The benefits that high-power laser directed energy weapons offer, at least in principle, are also relevant in the land and air domains, and the LY-1 could also be intended for use in a ground-based configuration. At today’s parade, the laser weapons appeared in what looked to be a very purpose-built eight-wheeled road-mobile format. As a comparison, HQ-10 naval surface-to-air missile launchers, or mockups thereof, were also paraded, but in a configuration more clearly intended for display, rather than operational use.

There is precedent for adapting naval weapon systems, especially those intended for close-in defense, for use ashore. The U.S. Army’s Centurion, a ground-based version of the 20mm Vulcan cannon-armed Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) found on various U.S. Navy and foreign warships, is a prime example. China has also previously developed versions of its own naval gun-armed CIWS systems for applications on land.

A land-based version of the LY-1 could provide an additional layer of defense against drones, cruise missiles, and even helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, depending on its real-world effective range and power rating. If the system is self-contained, it might have some capability to engage targets on the move, as well.

As noted, there are still questions about how close the LY-1 might be to entering operational service in any domain. In the United States, laser directed energy weapon development has faced repeated setbacks, especially due to power and cooling challenges, as well as making systems rugged enough for actual combat use, as you can read more about here. While the U.S. Navy has made more visible progress on this front than other branches of America’s armed forces, the service’s senior leaders have still expressed frustration with the pace of actually fielding these capabilities.

At the same time, China has clearly been making significant investments in operationalizing various tiers of laser and high-powered microwave directed energy weapons. This includes higher-end ground-based lasers designed to at least disrupt the operation of orbiting satellites. There are also smaller land-based laser weapons primarily intended for the counter-drone role, some of which were also showcased at today’s parade. Chinese firms have already succeeded in securing at least limited export sales of systems in that general category, including to Saudi Arabia and Iran, and reportedly Russia.

China showcases a counter-drone formation featuring interceptors, anti-drone swarm barrage weapons, high-energy lasers and microwave weapons intended to disable hostile aircraft during the military parade in Beijing on Sep 3. pic.twitter.com/X1SJg3mjhI

— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) September 3, 2025

🇨🇳PLAAF/PLA/PLARF Anti-swarm Formation

No Details of Designation Given out

“OW5-A10” Laser Mengshi
“PLB-625” 6x25mm
30mm Cannon Gun “FK-3000” CUAV Mini Dome
“OW5-A50” Laser HMV3 pic.twitter.com/iLZEXcm46Y

— David Wang (@Nickatgreat1220) September 3, 2025

A massive high-powered microwave weapon called the Hurricane 3000, which is mounted on a modified Shacman SX2400/2500-series 8×8 truck, was also on display at the event today in Beijing. That particular system had previously been showcased publicly at last year’s Zhuhai Airshow, as you can read more about here.

🔴 BREAKING: China has unveiled its ultimate anti-drone weapons 🇨🇳

It’s not a missile.
It’s not a traditional gun.

It’s OW5-A50 Laser HMV3 and “Hurricane 3000” Microwave System ⚡

One blast = dozens of drones disabled mid-air.
No ammo. No reload. Just pure energy.

Built for… pic.twitter.com/QhvVN8qpUv

— Defence Index (@Defence_Index) September 3, 2025

While more remains to be learned about the LY-1 and China’s plans for it, it is the latest reflection of the country’s push to develop and field laser and other directed energy weapons for use in multiple domains.

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