At the beginning of the month, a more than interesting effort behind the Chinese military project was uncovered. Reminiscent of a Soviet design and the ability to execute devastating attacks, China was making progress in the development of its H-6 nuclear strategic bomber. A few days ago we also reported on the nation’s new “toy”: “Orca”, an unmanned military ship loaded with weapons. The latter is not a war device, but rather a key technology to apply to weapons.

Drones armed with high-powered lasers. Researchers led by Li Xiao, from China’s National University of Defense Technology, have developed a device that allows small drones to fire high-powered lasersa technology previously considered impossible in terms of warfare.

This advance, described in the magazine Acta Armamentariiallows drones to emit lasers with enough intensity to cut metal, blind soldiers, and destroy electronic equipment. Using a lightweight and compact device, the drones can redirect laser beams generated from the ground, increasing their power to 30kW or more and allowing the beams to bend in the air to overcome obstacles and attack vulnerable points.

Military capabilities. The system appears to be based on a redirection device composed of telescopic tubes connected by high-precision reflective mirrors, a set that synchronizes the laser emitted from the ground with the drone.

This design eliminates the need for devices charge heavy equipment to generate powersolving a technical challenge that previously limited the miniaturization of laser weapons. The device also incorporates advanced vibration isolation technology and high-precision optical systems, both essential to maintaining the stability and precision of the laser during flight.

Strategic impact and coordination in the field. For example, design allows multiple drones to work togetherdetecting targets and requesting laser illumination from the ground to attack more quickly and efficiently.

This ability to coordinate intelligent platforms has been boosted by Chinese advances in time synchronization technologies and long-distance lasers, such as the quantum satellite launched in 2016. To give us an idea, on paper this not only improves precision, but opens the door to future weapons systems capable of combining energies from different platforms to generate even more powerful beams.

Challenges and solutions. In their work, the researchers say that one of the biggest obstacles was mitigate the vibrations generated by the flight of the dronewhich could disperse the laser and reduce its lethality. Li’s team developed vibration isolation technologies and high-quality optical reference systems to guarantee a stable connection between the drone and the ground transmitter. These advances, along with the ability to synchronize mobile platforms, mark a milestone in the integration of compact laser weapons into military strategies.

Future implications. There is no doubt, if the research is confirmed in the field, the technology developed could transform modern battlefieldsallowing the deployment of, for example, swarms of drones armed with lasers to carry out rapid, precise and devastating attacks.

Its ability to overcome obstacles, coordinate with ground-based transmitters and attack critical targets almost instantaneously represents a change in combat tactics. Additionally, the use of lasers minimizes ammunition costs and increases operational sustainability, a crucial factor in protracted conflicts. The breakthrough, which seems straight out of science fiction, has the potential to change the balance of military power in the world.

Image | Defense ImageryFrontier Interdisciplinary Academy/National University of Defense Technology

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