A defence fair in Beijing has shown portable laser weapons that can be carried by a single soldier to shoot down drones, realising a vision that was once the domain of science fiction.The Lijian series, meaning “sharp swords”, developed by Chinese defence supplier Harbin Xinguang Optic-Electronics Technology, was displayed at the Defence Information Equipment & Technology Exhibition 2026, a three-day event that started in Beijing on Tuesday.The Lijian series uses high-energy lasers to shoot down drones at ranges up to 1,200 metres (3,900 feet), although the portable models have a much shorter range, according to information posted at the exhibition.
SRCSouth China Morning Post
LANGEN
LEANCenter-Right
WORDS100
ENT7
FRI · 2026-06-19 · 10:00 GMTBRIEF NSR-2026-0619-85744
NSR-2026-0619-85744News Report·EN·Technology
China showcases portable laser weapons for a single soldier to shoot down drones
At the Defence Information Equipment & Technology Exhibition 2026 in Beijing, Chinese defense supplier Harbin Xinguang Optic-Electronics Technology showcased its "Lijian" series of portable laser weapons. These weapons, designed for a single soldier, are capable of shooting down drones.
Alcott WeiSouth China Morning PostFiled 2026-06-19 · 10:00 GMTLean · Center-RightRead · 1 min
South China Morning PostFIG 01
Reading time
1min
Word count
100words
Sources cited
0cited
Entities identified
7entities
Quality score
100%
§ 01
Briefing Summary
AI-generatedNEWSAR · AI
At the Defence Information Equipment & Technology Exhibition 2026 in Beijing, Chinese defense supplier Harbin Xinguang Optic-Electronics Technology showcased its "Lijian" series of portable laser weapons. These weapons, designed for a single soldier, are capable of shooting down drones. The Lijian series utilizes high-energy lasers for this purpose. While larger systems can engage targets up to 1,200 meters, the portable models displayed have a significantly shorter operational range. This development brings a previously science-fiction concept into reality for military applications.
Confidence 0.85Claims 4Entities 7
§ 02
Article analysis
Model · rule-basedFraming
Technology
National Security
Tone
Measured
AI-assessed
CalmNeutralAlarmist
Factuality
0.80 / 1.00
Factual
LowHigh
Sources cited
0
No named sources
FewMany
§ 03
Key claims
4 extracted01
The Lijian series laser weapons are developed by Chinese defence supplier Harbin Xinguang Optic-Electronics Technology.
factual
Confidence
0.90
02
China has showcased portable laser weapons capable of shooting down drones.
factual
Confidence
0.90
03
Portable models of the Lijian series have a much shorter range than the 1,200-meter capability.
factual
Confidence
0.80
04
The Lijian series uses high-energy lasers to shoot down drones at ranges up to 1,200 metres.
factual
Confidence
0.80
§ 04
Full report
1 min read · 100 words§ 05
Entities
7 identifiedKey playerOppositionContextPositiveNeutralNegative
§ 06
Keywords & salience
8 termsportable laser weapons
1.00
drone defense
0.90
high-energy lasers
0.80
soldier-portable
0.70
lijian series
0.60
defence fair
0.50
harbin xinguang
0.40
beijing
0.40
§ 07
Topic connections
Interactive graph Network visualization showing 51 related topics
View Full Graph Person Organization Location Event|Click node to navigate|Edge numbers = shared articles