- Breakthrough in Laser Weapon Technology: Chinese Researchers Overcome Overheating Issue in Laser Weapons
- Cooling System Innovation: New Gas-Based Cooling System Enhances Precision and Sustained Laser Performance
- Potential Shift in Military Power: Chinese Advancements in Laser Weaponry Challenge US Dominance
Researchers at China’s National University of Defence Technology claim to have conquered the greatest obstacle in the production of laser weapons – overloading.
The use of high-energy laser systems to disable unmanned aerial vehicles, such as combat drones, is necessitated by the excessive heat generated by the weapons during operation.
However, Chinese scientists are said to have devised a cooling system that blows gas through the weapon to expel heat and optimize the laser’s flow for precision shooting.
Laser weapons were formerly supposed to be science fiction, but governments worldwide have spent decades perfecting them.
The United States has been working for a long time to achieve what the Chinese scientists claimed to have accomplished, which would enable them to equip drones and missiles with lasers.
The team, led by laser weapon scientist Yuan Shengfu, told the South China Morning Post. “This is a breakthrough in improving the performance of high-energy laser systems.”
Not only can high-quality beams be produced in the first second, but they can also be maintained indefinitely.
Beijing Times reports that lasers function by stimulating emissions.
This involves elevating the energy state of atoms or molecules in a crystal or gas gain medium.
When atoms or molecules return to the earth, optical feedback amplifies their images, creating a powerful laser beam.
The weapon’s mirrors and lenses heat and disperse gas while keeping the beam on target through the air.
Yuan’s team developed the internal beam path conditioner to remove waste heat and maintain gaseous weapon purity.
A gas flow control system, air source, heat exchanger, and injection and suction system make up the new refrigeration system.
The laser system’s components are cooled by the heat exchanger after the air source passes dry air through it.
In addition to removing surplus heat, the gas flow decreases turbulence and vibration within the laser, thereby enhancing its precision.
In addition, it is designed to keep the weapon’s focus mirrors clear.
‘Since the invention of the first ruby laser in 1960, people have been enthusiastic about transitioning from kinetic energy to laser energy for the rapid projection of energy at the speed of light, dreaming of laser beams becoming ‘death rays’ that can kill targets instantly,’ Yuan and his colleagues explained.
Over the past 60 years, several lasers have been built, but high-energy laser systems have failed.
The United States military has been at the forefront of laser weapon advancements, with notable examples including the Navy Advanced Chemical Laser (NACL), Middle Infrared Advanced Chemical Laser (MIRACL), and Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL).
However, their size and weight limit their utility to enormous military vehicles such as ships and tanks.
This limits their range and mobility, but Chinese research may change combat, leaving the US behind.
