China’s rising power in military technology was on full display during the Victory Day parade in Beijing on September 3, marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in the Second World War.
However, behind China’s rising dominance in emerging military technologies, even surpassing the US in many critical areas, lies a simple fact – Beijing’s near-total dominance in processing critical rare-earth magnets and emerging semiconductor technologies, such as producing gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology.
Gallium nitride (GaN) is absolutely critical in producing next-generation radars, which can be used in missiles, tanks, naval warships, fighter jets, and air defense systems.
For instance, China’s J-20 stealth fighter’s GaN-based AESA radar could boost detection range and jamming resistance, outpacing older tech. Similarly, the PL-15 missiles, recently used during the India-Pakistan clash, have a GaN-powered radar seeker that ensures precise targeting and superior anti-jamming capabilities.
China’s dominance in controlling the production and supply of Gallium nitride (GaN) is fueling a military revolution in China on the one hand, while by choking the supply of this critical semiconductor to the US, Beijing ensures that the gap between China and the US in the field of emerging military technologies will keep on widening.
According to a report by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Physics, China’s growing dominance in gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology gives it a strategic advantage that is reshaping the global arms race.
“Behind this technological advancement lies a ‘hidden thread’ of semiconductor development: China’s GaN-based semiconductor technology has reached maturity,” said the report, which was also released on September 3, the same day as China’s Victory Day parade in Beijing.
China is by no means the only country that is trying to hurt its primary competitor by choking the supply of critical technologies. The US, too, has put elaborate restrictions on the supply of advanced semiconductor chips to China to arrest Beijing’s progress in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
However, unlike the US, which has made its restrictions official, China has acted more subtly. Yet, the impact of China’s restrictions on the supply of rare-earth magnets and GaN-based semiconductor technology has more detrimental effects on the US defense industry’s production capabilities.
China has framed its ‘silent sanctions’ as measures to ensure national security and fair trade. China’s restrictions on the export of critical raw materials like gallium and germanium are adversely impacting the production of next-generation military electronics in the US.
According to the report, these export restrictions are allowing Beijing to deploy cutting-edge phased array radar systems across its armed forces at a pace and scale unmatched by the United States.
Consequently, the US is already possibly a generation behind China in the development and adoption of the next generation of phased array radar systems across military platforms such as fighter jets, missiles, tanks, air defense systems, and naval warships.
For instance, much of the US naval fleet still relies on older radar technologies, with the latest Arleigh Burke-class destroyers only recently fielding modern active electronically scanned array (AESA) systems.
Meanwhile in China, from the KJ-500A airborne early warning aircraft to the new Type 100 tank equipped with multiple GaN-based radar units, these systems showcase a level of integration and miniaturisation once reserved for elite platforms, the South China Morning Post reported, quoting the study.
Use Of GaN-Based Semiconductors In AESA Radars
An AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar uses an array of many small, individual transmit/receive (T/R) modules to electronically steer its radar beam, rather than a single, rotating antenna.
Each module can operate independently, allowing the radar to perform multiple functions simultaneously, such as target tracking, surveillance, and electronic warfare.
Traditionally, AESA radars were based on Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) technology. However, now scientists are replacing GaAs with Gallium Nitride (GaN) based semiconductors in its T/R modules. GaN is regarded as a third-generation semiconductor.
GaN technology allows for higher power output, better thermal management, improved efficiency, and increased durability compared to older Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) technologies. This leads to greater detection ranges and enhanced resistance to jamming.
“Compared to traditional gallium arsenide (GaAs), GaN offers notable advantages: it supports power densities five to 10 times higher than GaAs, greatly enhancing radar detection range and resolution,” the report said.
“Radars made with GaN are more compact and efficient, with stronger reliability and longer service life in high-temperature environments, substantially reducing maintenance needs and costs,” it added.
According to the report, phased array radar has long been associated with “high performance, high complexity, and high cost”.
However, despite the technology’s frequent appearance in the parade, it had not become more affordable and accessible, the report said.
“To this day, a significant portion of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ Su-35S fighters still use passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar, with avionics performance lagging noticeably behind that of China and the US,” the report said.
“The situation in the United States is also challenging: although it pioneered AESA technology and developed it rapidly, its mainstay destroyer, the Arleigh Burke-class, continues to widely use the SPY-1 PESA radar even in the latest Flight IIA variants,” it said.
It was “only recently that the first Flight III Burke-class destroyer entered service, finally equipped with the advanced SPY-6 AESA system,” the report said.
Furthermore, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, the domestically developed radars seen on September 3 during the parade are interconnected across ranges to form coordinated networks capable of detecting stealth aircraft, ballistic missiles, and other targets.
China’s dominance in developing and adopting GaN-based radar technology across military platforms is a direct result of Beijing’s dominance in the GaN industry.
According to the report, this dominance is not achieved through restricting technology flows but by leveraging advantages across the entire industrial chain, from production to application.
China is one of the world’s largest producers of alumina, which gives it a natural advantage in large-scale gallium extraction, a by-product that often occurs alongside bauxite and lead-zinc ores.
According to the US Geological Survey, as of 2022, China accounted for about 68 per cent of the 279,300 tonnes of global proven reserves of gallium metal – the highest share worldwide.
Additionally, China also has highly mature technologies for gallium refining and processing, accounting for more than 90 per cent of global refined gallium production in 2023.
Notably, China has imposed export controls on gallium and germanium since 2023. These export restrictions were further strengthened in December 2024.
Since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January this year and initiated a trade war with China, these export restrictions on critical technologies have received further boost.
The report cites China’s global leadership in GaN-based phased array technology as “a vivid example of the ‘military-civilian fusion’ strategy”.
As per this strategy, new niche military technologies are first disseminated to civilian markets to create massive demand. This enormous demand then drives industries to adopt the technology across their industrial chain, leading to increased production capacity, lower costs, and continuously improving reliability.
