6. The Chinese Program
China has assembled the most complete component-level technology chain for plasma orb weapons outside the United States. The Chinese program spans multiple institutions — NUDT (spheromak acceleration), SIOM (ball lightning soliton physics), HIT (plasmoid control in atmosphere), HUST (pulsed power), PLA Academy of Military Sciences (THz generation), and CASC (fielded HPM systems). While no confirmed coordinated weapons program has been identified, all component capabilities exist, and the PLA has explicitly discussed plasma weapons as "new concept weapons" since at least 2019.
6.1 NUDT Spheromak Program
The National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) published a detailed paper in January 2024 (in Systems Engineering and Electronics, DOI 10.12305/j.issn.1001-506X.2024.01.30) describing a coaxial gun system that generates spheromak plasma rings for "remote magnetic control of space targets."
Key parameters of the NUDT spheromak system:
- Coaxial gun: Electrode length 1.2 m, inner radius 0.625 m, outer radius 0.448 m
- Power system: 20 kV, 350 μF capacitor bank
- Velocity: ~1,000 km/s
- Electron density: ~1016 cm-3
- Energy density: ~1 MJ/m2
- Magnetic fields: ~1 T
The NUDT paper describes remote magnetic manipulation of space targets — a concept directly comparable to the US MARAUDER program and the Russian Stupitskiy plasma gun research. The velocity (1,000 km/s) is in the same range as MARAUDER's targets (3,000–10,000 km/s). The NUDT system is smaller in scale but represents a clear demonstration of compact toroid acceleration for military applications.
6.2 SIOM Ball Lightning Soliton
The Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM), part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, published the first experimental demonstration of ball lightning as a relativistic terahertz soliton in Nature Photonics (Vol. 20, No. 6, pp. 727–733, April 2026, DOI 10.1038/s41566-026-01899-y). The experiment was conducted using the SULF/Xihe 10-petawatt laser facility — a world-record system.
The SIOM soliton's physics parameters were discussed in Chapter 1. The key point for the Chinese program assessment is that SIOM provides the physics validation for the theoretical framework (Nachamkin, Wu) underlying plasma orb concepts. However, the critical limitation remains: the soliton was created in argon gas, not atmospheric air. Whether the soliton can survive in open atmosphere — with its water vapor THz absorption — is an open question.
6.3 HIT Plasmoid Control in Atmosphere
The Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) — one of the "Seven Sons of National Defense" — has demonstrated electromagnetic steering and gating of plasmoids in atmosphere. HIT's collaboration with PINP (Gatchina, Russia) is documented through co-authored papers (2021–2022).
The HIT research shows that electromagnetic fields can redirect or block plasmoid formation in air — directly relevant to weapons applications where target engagement requires plasmoid steering. This is the most directly weapons-relevant Chinese plasma research, as it addresses the atmospheric control problem that the SIOM soliton has not yet solved.
6.4 HUST and Pulsed Power Infrastructure
Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) operates the HFRC (HUST FRC) experiment — a direct academic counterpart to Japan's FAT-CM and the US FRCHX. HFRC parameters:
- Vessel: 0.8 m radius, 4.2 m length
- Compression: 0.5 T in 50 μs
- Mirror ratio: ~2
HUST also provides pulsed power infrastructure that supports the broader Chinese plasma weapons research ecosystem. China's fusion investment is estimated at ~$10 billion across multiple projects, including the Julong-2 Z-pinch (50 MA, ~$2.3B combined investment).
6.5 PLA Academy of Military Sciences — THz Generation
The PLA Academy of Military Sciences is conducting THz generation research, potentially connecting to the SIOM soliton work and the Nachamkin critical frequency concept (which falls in the 0.3–1 THz range at relevant plasma densities). The PLA Daily published an article on plasma weapons on July 26, 2019, explicitly discussing them as "new concept weapons."
6.6 CASC and Fielded HPM Systems
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced a 100 kW magnetoplasmadynamic thruster (MPDT) breakthrough in March 2025. CASC also produces fielded high-power microwave (HPM) systems. While HPM is not the same as plasma orb weapons, the pulsed power infrastructure is directly relevant.
6.7 Additional Chinese Programs
- EAST tokamak: January 2025 world record — 1,066 seconds H-mode operation
- HL-3: >100 million °C ion and electron temperatures achieved in 2025
- Shenguang-IV: Laser facility for inertial confinement fusion
- NJUST railgun: 9 MJ, 180 PFU modules, 500 kA peak current, 3,550 m/s projectile velocity
- PLA Academy of Armored Forces Engineering: Magnetized plasma artillery patent (CN104697397A, filed March 2015)
- Barium release experiment (2013): 191 km altitude plasma experiment
- EMP research budget: ¥95 billion (~$650M) for FY2024–FY2028
- PLASMAGIC budget: ¥200 million (~$1.3M) in FY2026
6.8 The Full Chinese Technology Chain
China has assembled a complete component-level technology chain for plasma orb weapons:
| Component | Institution | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Physics validation | SIOM (Nature Photonics 2026) | Established (argon only) |
| Spheromak acceleration | NUDT (2024 paper) | Established (1,000 km/s) |
| Atmospheric plasmoid control | HIT (with PINP Russia) | Established |
| Pulsed power | HUST, CAEP | Established |
| THz generation | PLA Academy of Military Sciences | Active research |
| Fielded HPM | CASC | Deployed |
| Strategic intent | PLA (2019 statement) | Explicit |
6.9 Assessment
- NUDT spheromak (Established): Compact toroid acceleration at 1,000 km/s for space target manipulation. Directly comparable to MARAUDER and Stupitskiy.
- SIOM soliton (Established, with limitation): Physics validated in argon. Atmospheric survival is not demonstrated.
- HIT plasmoid control (Established): EM steering and gating in atmosphere. Most directly weapons-relevant Chinese research.
- Full technology chain (Strong inference): All component capabilities exist. No confirmed coordinated weapons program, but the PLA's explicit discussion of plasma weapons as "new concept weapons" indicates strategic intent.
- Russia-China collaboration (Established): HIT-PINP papers confirm technology transfer channel.
- No operational plasma weapons system (Established): No evidence of testing against satellites, combat use, or space-based plasma weapons.