Recently, at the Laser Technology and Industry Development and Innovation Forum, the head of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation stated that the first fully independently developed 20,000-watt fiber laser officially entered the installation stage, and this technological achievement directly broke the foreign technology monopoly. This 20,000-watt fiber laser pointer was developed by Wuhan Ruike Fiber Laser Technology Co., Ltd., which is affiliated to the Fourth Academy of Aerospace Science and Industry of China, and may come out and put into use. So, is this laser technology related to laser weapon equipment? When will laser weapons be brought to the battlefield on a large scale?
The United States hopes to equip laser weapons on fighter jets. The main purpose of China’s 20,000 watt fiber laser is to break foreign monopolies and reduce import costs. The US military is passionate about tactical laser weapons. Although the laser has received general attention from the military of all countries since its birth, especially if it wants to be applied to strategic anti-missile and other fields. However, due to various difficulties such as atmosphere, optical attenuation, heat dissipation, and target guidance, the development speed of strategic laser weapons is very slow. However, since the 21st century, the US military has again begun to attach importance to the research and development of high-power solid-state lasers, using them for close-range air defense, anti-missile, and warship self-defense and other tactical tasks, and calling them a mysterious weapon that the US military once again leads its opponents.
In terms of high-power tactical solid-state lasers, fiber laser weapons are becoming the main source of tactical green laser pointer weapons due to their obvious advantages in efficiency, laser beam quality, system volume, weight, robustness, and cooling. Recently, the prototypes of various laser weapons developed by the US military are all fiber laser weapons. Such as the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) “Holy Sword” project, the Navy’s shipboard tactical laser weapon system project and laser weapon system project, the Army’s “Area Defense Anti-Medical System” (ADAM) and “Zeus-Humvee Laser” Fiber lasers are used in the ammunition destruction system.
Among them, the “Holy Sword” is an airborne laser weapon project. The target is a ground-to-air missile with anti-optical or infrared guidance. The combat altitude is 15 kilometers. The U.S. Navy’s Mk38 carrier-based laser cannon targets a large number of dense small ships, surface ships, and aerial vehicles. In 2011, the laser cannon carried out shooting tests on air and surface targets.
The U.S. Army’s “area defense anti-drug system” mainly defends ground forces against short-range air targets (rockets, drones) threats. In 2012 and 2013 tests, the system successfully destroyed drones. And small caliber rockets. The “Zeus-Humvee Laser Ammunition Destruction System” is installed on the famous “Humvee” vehicle and has the ability to counter mines and deal with roadside bombs.
In addition to the above, the US military also has some fiber tactical Laser Engraver projects. The U.S. military is now very enthusiastic about the development of tactical laser weapons and is in the stage of “casting a net on a large scale. The Pentagon launched the third “offset strategy” in 2014, the core of which is the development of disruptive advanced technological weapons, which continues to occupy an absolute advantage in military competition.