The strongest so far? The US military plans to test 300 kilowatts of laser weapons next year

　　The US military plans to test the strongest laser weapon to date next year

　　Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, November 1 (Reporter Liu Xia) According to a recent report on the British "New Scientist" website, the US Army plans to display a 300-kilowatt laser weapon next year, which is the most powerful laser weapon in the history of the United States.

The equipment is about the size of a shipping container and is installed on a heavy truck to defend against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aircraft.

　　It is reported that General Atomic Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) and Boeing are working together to manufacture the equipment. GA-EMS President Scott Forney said in a statement: "This high-power, compact laser weapon... It will produce a more powerful lethal output than any current weapon. This advanced weapon is designed to deal with hypersonic threats such as drones and speedboats. It can launch an'energy beam' to burn targets or destroy sensitive electronic systems. Only one person can operate it."

　　In 2014, the U.S. Navy deployed the first high-energy laser weapon, LaWS, on the USS Ponce, with an output power of 30 kilowatts.

Most military lasers are usually in the range of 30-100 kilowatts and are mainly used to shoot down small drones.

　　Generally speaking, this type of laser weapon is based on multiple industrial fiber lasers, and the lasers they output are combined into one beam.

The new weapon being developed by Boeing and GA-EMS uses large glass plates connected in series.

GA-EMS explained that, due to waste heat and beam quality issues, such glass plates were difficult to use before, but connecting them in series can solve these problems, and there is no need to combine the beams emitted by multiple fiber lasers.

　　This new type of laser is part of a US Army project to develop defensive lasers that can shoot down incoming targets.

Last year, the US Army demonstrated how a 10-kilowatt laser weapon can defeat small mortar shells.

　　Justin Bronke of the Royal United Services Institute, a British security think tank, said that more powerful lasers can attack larger targets, as well as multiple targets in rapid succession.

"This will enable the system to deal with more intensive incoming threats, and it will also make it possible for the laser weapon to defend against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, aircraft and helicopters."