The U.S. Air Force and the arms giant Lockheed Martin recently signed a contract worth $ 26.3 million, entrusting the latter to develop high-energy laser pointer weapons for fighter jets, which requires that they enter the actual test phase by 2021. Analysts believe that it is more difficult to equip the Air Force with laser weapons than the Army and Navy.
The development of airborne high-energy laser weapons is part of the Air Force Institute’s Self-Defense High-Energy Laser Demonstrator (Laser Shield) project. “Aiming the green laser pointer weapon on a smaller aerial test platform is a completely new challenge. The ‘Laser Shield’ project is feasible and can be Produced, tested and installed on aircraft, vehicles and ships. ”
Song Tao, a senior military commentator, believes that in the development of laser weapons by the US military, the development of the Navy and the Army is relatively smooth. But in comparison, the Air Force’s progress has been the most difficult, but also the most urgent. With the advancement of technology, the volume and weight ratio of laser generating equipment and guiding equipment has been significantly reduced at the beginning, but energy storage and conversion equipment has been the bottleneck, and the miniaturization of high-power Laser Engraver is still not ideal.
The United States has developed laser weapons for more than 40 years. At current levels, laser weapons can destroy small missiles, artillery shells, rockets, drones, small assault boats, light combat vehicles, and more, within a mile (1.6 kilometers). Compared with traditional weapons, laser weapons have the unique advantages of being fast, accurate, immune to electromagnetic interference, and having a high cost-effectiveness ratio. They are regarded as “future-changing weapons of the future”. In recent years, the US military has tested the performance of laser weapons on large vehicles such as ground vehicles, surface ships, and Boeing 747s.