On July 18, 2017, the world media hit the public with headlines: “The United States tested laser weapon in the Persian Gulf." The American television channel CNN released video footage of a laser weapon test carried out. Two targets were successfully hit by laser cannon shots, showing the world what US laser weapons are capable of. The gun is designated XN-1 LaWS on landing ship US Navy USS Ponce is currently the only laser cannon in service with the US Navy, but the Pentagon is already aiming to develop and build new weapons and arm warships and aircraft with them. What laser weapons are in service with the US Army? What are its technical data? What are the plans of the American military-industrial complex in this important issue? You will learn about this from this article.
Wonder weapon
The great minds of mankind predicted the appearance of ray weapons at the beginning of the 20th century. The idea of a weapon capable of penetrating any armor and guaranteed to hit a target is reflected in the works of science fiction writers. These are the Martian tripods of Oscar Wilde in “War of the Worlds”, and the “high-power heat ray” of A. N. Tolstoy in “The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin”, and their numerous followers in literature and cinema. The most famous work in which the idea of laser weapons was realized can rightfully be called “Star Wars” by George Lucas.
In the 1950s of the last century, laser weapons came to the attention of the military. At the same time, development of working versions of lasers was carried out in the USA and USSR. The United States focused primarily on missile defense in the development of laser weapons.
Ronald Reagan's Star Wars
The first US effort in the field of laser weapons was the Strategic Defense Initiative program, better known as the Star Wars project. It was planned to launch satellites equipped with lasers into orbit, designed to destroy Soviet ballistic missiles at the highest point of their trajectory. A large-scale program was launched to develop and produce early warning systems for taking off missiles, and according to some unconfirmed reports, the first satellites with laser weapons on board were launched into space in an atmosphere of extreme secrecy.
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) project, in fact, became the forerunner of the American missile defense system, around which controversy and verbal battles are currently raging. But SDI was not destined to fully become a reality. The project lost its relevance and was closed in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Moreover, existing developments were used in other similar projects, including the aforementioned missile defense system, and some individual developments were adapted for civilian needs, such as the GPS satellite system.
Boeing YAL-1. about the laser bomber
The first attempt to revive the concept of using beam weapons in combat conditions was the project of an aircraft that would be capable of shooting down nuclear missiles on takeoff. In 2002, an experimental Boeing YAL-1 aircraft with a chemical laser was built, which successfully passed several tests, but the program was closed in 2011 due to budget cuts. The problem with the project, which negated all its advantages, was that the YAL-1 could only fire at a distance of 200 kilometers, which in conditions of full-scale hostilities would lead to the fact that the aircraft would simply be shot down by enemy air defense forces.
The rebirth of US laser weapons
The new American defensive doctrine, which envisaged the creation of a national missile defense system, again aroused the military's interest in beam weapons.
In 2004, the US Army tested laser weapons in combat conditions. The ZEUS combat laser mounted on an HMMWV in Afghanistan successfully destroyed unexploded ordnance and mines. Also, according to unconfirmed reports, the United States tested laser weapons in the Persian Gulf in 2003, during Operation Shock and Awe (the military invasion of Iraq).
In 2008, the American company Northrop Grumman Corporation, together with the Israeli Defense Ministry, developed the Skyguard missile defense system laser. Northrop Grumman is also developing beam weapons for the US Navy. Active testing was carried out in 2011, but nothing is known about operating products yet. It is expected that the new laser will be 5 times more powerful than what the United States tested in the Persian Gulf in July 2017.
Later, Boeing began developing a program to develop the HEL MD laser, which was successfully completed combat tests in 2013 and 2014 In 2015, Boeing introduced a laser with a power of up to 2 kW, which successfully shot down a drone during exercises.
Beam weapons are also being developed by Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. According to the statement, tests of laser weapons will take place annually.
XN-1 LaWS System
The XN-1 LaWS laser weapon was developed by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in 2014 and was immediately installed on board the obsolete US Navy amphibious assault ship USS Ponce, selected to test the new weapon system. The power of the gun is 30 kW, the approximate cost is 30 million US dollars, the speed of the “projectile” is more than 1 billion km/h with the cost of one shot being 1 dollar. The installation is controlled by 3 people.
Advantages
The advantages of US laser weapons directly stem from the specifics of their use. They are listed below:
- It does not require ammunition as it runs on electricity.
- A laser is much more accurate than a firearm, since the projectile is practically unaffected by external factors.
- Precision also results in another important advantage: collateral damage is completely eliminated. The beam hits the target without causing damage to surrounding objects, which makes it possible to use it in densely populated areas where the use of conventional artillery and bombing is fraught with large casualties among civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure.
- The laser is silent and its shot cannot be tracked, which makes it possible to use it in special operations, where stealth and noiselessness are the main factors of success.
Flaws
The obvious advantages of laser weapons also result in their disadvantages, namely:
- Excessive power consumption. Large systems will need large generators, which will significantly limit the mobility of the artillery systems on which they will be installed.
- High accuracy only when firing directly, which sharply reduces the effectiveness of use on land.
- The laser beam can be reflected using inexpensive materials, the production of which is established in many countries. Thus, a representative of the Chinese Minister of War stated in 2014 that they are completely protected from American lasers thanks to a special protective layer.
Prospects for US laser weapons
So what's next? Will we see scenes familiar to every science fiction lover, where giant lasers are commonplace? Based on recent trends, the power of new US laser weapons will increase, followed by an increase in destructive potential.
Developers of beam weapons are already faced with the age-old “shield-sword” problem - they will need to overcome the resistance of new protective coatings, which will be improved as the power of laser weapons increases. With each new weapon system, the range of US laser weapons increases, which opens up new way its use is the fight against space debris. There is also a tendency to reduce the size of devices without losing power, which in the future will lead to the fact that we will get small enough weapons that can be installed on fighter aircraft and even one day become the personal weapon of soldiers.
That is why every new test of US laser weapons arouses such keen interest among all world military experts. But don’t think that old weapons systems will remain a thing of the past. Do not forget that laser weapons are effective only in conditions of direct visibility of the target, therefore conventional artillery and precision missiles will still be the main ones in theaters of war.
March 1, delivering the Message Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the six latest developments of domestic defense industry. The head of state disclosed information on systems for strategic nuclear forces and other army structures. One of the presented samples, unlike the others, does not belong to the category of strategic nuclear weapons, but despite this, it is of great interest. Russian industry has created a new combat laser complex.
Talking about the latest achievements of the domestic defense industry, V. Putin recalled advanced foreign projects. It is well known that a number of foreign countries are now working on promising weapons using the so-called. new physical principles. According to the president, there is every reason to believe that in this area too, Russia is one step ahead of its competitors. At least in the right areas.
The President pointed to the achievement of significant results in the field of laser weapons. At the same time, we are no longer talking about the theoretical elaboration of ideas, the creation of projects, or the start of mass production. The newest Russian laser system is already being supplied to the troops. The first systems of this kind were handed over to units last year.
V. Putin did not want to disclose the details of the new project and clarify the main characteristics or capabilities of the promising weapon. However, he noted that experts will understand the consequences of the emergence of such systems. The presence of laser combat systems will greatly expand the country’s capabilities in ensuring its security.
Like several other new weapons presented on the first day of spring, the combat laser system does not yet have its own name. In this regard, the head of state invited everyone to come up with their own name options for this system. The Ministry of Defense has launched a special Internet service with which you can offer your version of the name for combat laser and other latest systems.
Vehicles of the complex on the march
The next day, V. Putin spoke at the V media forum of the All-Russian Popular Front in Kaliningrad, and during this event he again raised the topic of promising weapons. He called the combat laser a fantasy, which, however, was implemented in reality. The President compared this product with the hyperboloid of engineer Garin from the work of the same name by A.N. Tolstoy.
V. Putin’s short story about the combat laser complex was illustrated with a video. For certain reasons, the demo video turned out to be quite short and lasted only 21 seconds. Unlike other videos, this time they showed only the complex on the march, during deployment and in a combat position. Footage of the use of this weapon, with real filming or computer graphics, was not provided. However, even in this form the video is quite interesting and provides certain information.
The demonstration of the combat laser system began with shots of the system on the march. The lens captured two tractor-trailers with semi-trailers of a special configuration. Further, during the deployment of the system, a larger number of equipment was present on the site. Next to the combat vehicle carrying the laser, there were some other samples of special equipment with one or another auxiliary equipment.
The complex is in the process of deployment
Of particular interest are the footage from the complex control room. The audience was shown several monitors, including those labeled “ARM-1” and “ARM-2” (probably an “automated workstation” with numbers), as well as a certain rack with equipment. The control equipment of the complex included a computer-type keyboard, a control knob, and a block of unknown purpose. At workplaces there are telephone handsets from communication systems.
The video ends with a demonstration of the laser installation itself. The characteristic design of the device showed the operation of horizontal and vertical guidance systems. The equipment operated with plugs installed or removed, as well as with different positions of the movable protective cover. “Firing” at targets, however, was not shown.
An official video from the Ministry of Defense shows that the combat laser complex includes several machines. Most likely, in addition to the combat module carrier, the complex includes control and communication vehicles, a mobile power station and other elements. The joint work of all these models should ensure the solution of assigned combat missions. By obvious reasons, the semi-trailer with a laser system is of greatest interest now.
The combat laser and its equipment are large in size and weight, which is why they were installed on a semi-trailer with a five-axle chassis. There are four electric jacks located in the center and at the rear of the semi-trailer. With their help, obviously, the semi-trailer must be hung and leveled before combat work.
General view of the semi-trailer in stowed position
The front part of the laser semi-trailer, located above the fifth wheel of the tractor, is equipped with a medium-sized casing that accommodates some auxiliary systems. Grilles on the sides of the casing and ventilation caps on the roof may hint at the composition of the internal equipment. The main platform carries two container bodies large sizes. At the front is a smaller one that houses the equipment. The laser installation is located in the rear, characterized by an increased length and more complex external contours.
The front half of the rear container has the largest possible cross-section. Behind it, the sides and roof form a smaller casing. The fact is that a laser installation is placed in the stern of the container, and above it there is a sliding roof. The U-shaped unit with folding rear flaps, when preparing for work, moves forward and moves onto a section of the body with smaller dimensions. This ensures free operation of the laser system without restrictions on pointing angles.
In the rear of the semi-trailer, under the protection of the sides and retractable roof, there is the laser installation itself. It is based on a U-shaped support device without the possibility of rotation around a vertical axis. On this support, a large block of close to rectangular shape swings in a vertical plane. On one of its walls there is a mount for a unit with target equipment with a rotation function. Two articulated joints provide the ability to point the laser in any direction.
The upper unit of the installation received a body of a rather complex shape with a cut-off front part and a cylindrical rear section. There are two tubular casings on the left side of the hull different sizes for equipment. The front inclined section of the body is covered with a movable cover. In the stowed position it lies on the sides, in the combat position it rises and allows the use of internal equipment. The side cylindrical casings are equipped with removable covers.
There is no information about the structure and internal components of the laser installation. It can be assumed that the laser emitter itself is located in a larger housing, and it is its operation that is ensured by the lifting lid. In this case, the side tubes must accommodate optical-electronic means of observation, detection and tracking. The type of laser and its technical characteristics remain unknown. At best, they will be published only in the future.
In his Address to the Federal Assembly, the president announced only the very fact of the existence of an unnamed laser complex, and did not disclose details. In particular, the purpose of this product remains unknown. One can only guess where, how and for what purpose mobile systems with laser weapons are planned to be used. Certain estimates and forecasts are already known, but they, as expected, may not be confirmed in the future.
A laser of rather modest dimensions and, accordingly, not the highest power, having developed guidance means in two planes, may be similar to a promising system air defense. Indeed, a combat laser of sufficient power can be a convenient means of countering manned and unmanned enemy aircraft. In this case, we are most likely not talking about the physical destruction of the target, but about its incapacitation.
Modern combat aircraft and UAVs are equipped with a variety of optical-electronic systems designed for reconnaissance, target detection and the use of weapons. A laser beam of sufficient power can damage the photosensitive elements of the optics and disable them, at least for some time. As a result, the aircraft or drone will lose some of its functions and will not be able to continue performing the mission.
Product in combat position
However, nothing prevents us from making a bolder assumption and considering a combat laser complex as a means of destroying equipment or weapons. In theory, a high-power laser beam is capable of transferring thermal energy to an object and causing its destruction. By melting the target's body, the laser can detonate the warhead of the missile, cause a fuel fire, or, for all intents and purposes, burn out the aircraft's electronics. Such use of laser weapons has been studied for several decades, and it cannot yet be ruled out that the newest project does not develop such ideas.
Regardless of the specific method of application, goals and objectives, a laser complex for combat purposes may have some special advantages that distinguish it from other systems of similar purposes. Thus, acting as a means of optical-electronic suppression, the laser turns out to be a non-alternative system. All existing systems for combating tactical or unmanned aircraft use different principles. Withdrawal aircraft out of order, they “prefer” complete destruction. Obviously, damage to electronics takes an aircraft out of combat much easier and faster than a full-fledged attack using guided missiles or artillery.
If new complex equipped with a sufficiently powerful laser capable of melting structural elements of aircraft, it can become an interesting competitor for existing anti-aircraft systems short range. It should be recalled that the transfer of thermal energy using a beam is associated with some problems. First of all, prolonged exposure to the target may be necessary to obtain the desired result. In addition, various factors, including weather events, can interfere with the successful heating of an object.
Automated calculation workstations
Having certain limitations, an anti-aircraft laser system can be cheaper to operate than its missile competitor. Each guided missile that hits a selected target has a fairly high cost. The cost of a “shot” of a laser system is hundreds and thousands of times less, which, however, is accompanied by a higher cost of the complex itself. Thus, for the most effective use of combat laser systems as part of air defense and obtaining the best economic results, the development of new methods and solutions is required.
One of the main problems facing the creators of combat lasers is power supply. A high power laser requires adequate power. The published video shows that next to the semi-trailer of the unnamed laser installation, a second vehicle from the complex is located in position. Products are connected to each other using large number cables This clearly indicates that the electric generator could not be placed on the same chassis with the laser, and therefore it is made as a separate element of the complex.
The separate placement of the generator set has already become a reason for the most daring assumptions. In discussions of the complex, a version was proposed about the use of a compact nuclear power plant that produces sufficient power. Indirect confirmation of this version are achievements in other areas, also announced by V. Putin. A new compact nuclear system of sufficient power, suitable for installation on small-sized underwater vehicles, has already been tested and verified. However, all this, rather, is the fruit of a bold imagination, and not the result of real work.
The President of Russia clarified that a promising combat laser complex is already being produced and entering service with the troops. The first systems of this type were delivered to the armed forces last year. It is obvious that the assembly of the complexes will continue, and in the foreseeable future parts of the air defense (if this is true) anti-aircraft system) will master a significant amount of such technology. The supplies will have a noticeable impact on the defense potential of the troops, and at the same time on the defense capability of the country as a whole.
Much to the regret of specialists and fans of military equipment, in his speech Vladimir Putin did not reveal the most interesting features of the promising laser complex. However, the public was not left completely out of work. As it turned out, the combat laser and a number of other promising types of weapons still do not have a name. The country's military and political leadership did not resolve this issue on their own and turned to the people for help. Anyone can come up with their own designations for new weapons, including the combat laser system.
In his speech addressed to the Federal Assembly, but of great interest to the entire country and abroad, Russian President V. Putin described several of the latest weapons and equipment. These developments implement fundamentally new devices and approaches that literally change the rules of the game. One of the ways to radically change the situation was the combat laser complex. This system, without even receiving its own name, is already being supplied to the troops and making a certain contribution to the security of the country.
The US Navy tested an "active laser weapon" LaWS (Laser Weapons System) in the Persian Gulf and hit with an invisible pulse. At the same time, the official representative of the Navy, Captain First Rank Christopher Well, noted the versatility of the installation, high accuracy and low cost of the “shot”.
The Americans announced plans to equip warships with the latest laser weapons back in the spring of 2013. And Rear Admiral Matthew Klander then: “The latest technology makes it possible to create laser beams that can lock on to a target and not lose it, regardless of the movement of the ship in conditions of strong wind and waves. The laser will cut the target like a blowtorch. In addition, the new weapon will be able to “blind” the cameras of reconnaissance aircraft.” True, the admiral allowed a decrease in the effectiveness of laser weapons against fast-moving targets - supersonic aircraft and missiles.
Expert on LaWS tests: The United States combines “business with pleasure” for itselfThe US has tested laser weapons (LaWS) in the Persian Gulf, media reports. Military expert Boris Rozhin expressed the opinion on Sputnik radio that such tests are a definite signal.Indeed, a combat laser reaches its maximum destruction range only in airless space, and the pathos of American statements on this topic always exceeds the persuasiveness of the tests. Readers who have completed the course well school physics, were skeptical about the new achievement of the American defense industry (as evidenced by three hundred comments on this news on the website). Experts were unanimous: such tests and systems do not yet threaten warships and aircraft; laser guns are too dependent on the power of the generator and the distance to the target. The “electricity from a small standard generator” mentioned by Christopher Well raises all the more doubts because the laser installation was placed on a huge transport ship with a length of 173 meters and a displacement of over 16 thousand tons.
The laser weapon system (LaWS) on the USS Ponce transport dock was tested in the Persian Gulf for the first time in 2014, and progress since then is not obvious. No answers today whole line fundamental issues. What is the power of the laser machine? At what distance is the target hit? What material is the drone made of? Did it have a reflective coating and how fast did it fly? Is marketing hoax ruled out?
The advantages of laser weapons are speed and accuracy, the ability to “blind” a target, the absence of unmasking effects in the form of fire and smoke, and the relative cheapness of the shot (the amount of ammunition is determined only by the power of the energy source). The beam has no mass and does not require ballistic corrections. Why have convenient combat lasers not yet replaced traditional weapons systems?
Key disadvantage - high level energy consumption. And if a compact and inexhaustible source of energy ever appears, refraction will not disappear - the laser beam in the atmosphere expands and loses focus (its temperature decreases). Therefore, the combat range is limited to three to five kilometers (wavelength and other tricks do not play a special role). And even at this distance, bad weather (rain, fog) or reflective coating on the target (the mirror reflects the laser beam regardless of the power level) turns the superweapon into a useless toy.
It looks like impressive nonsense, for example, American air-launched combat laser, a $5.3 billion “anti-missile dream.” The project was closed, despite the current YAL-1A prototype, placed on the Boeing 747-400F aircraft. The system was developed to destroy enemy ballistic missiles. The laser seems to have been successfully tested, but maximum range"shooting" turned out to be unacceptable for real combat conditions.
Kilowatt race
Despite the thorny path of the laser beam in earth's atmosphere, it can be assumed that in the coming years tactical laser weapons will be adopted in several countries around the world. Thus, the Americans intend to install laser cannons on the F-35 fighter, on the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and Zumwalt class destroyers.
Combat laser systems are being persistently developed by British, German, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and, of course, Russian specialists. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov in 2016 announced the adoption of the weapon, which can be placed on aircraft, wheeled and tracked combat vehicles, as well as on Navy ships. Testing of the Russian air-launched laser system (carrier - Il-76 transport aircraft) continues. Perhaps it will receive laser weapons.
The Nautilus laser missile defense system was jointly developed by American and Israeli specialists in the late 90s. However, Israel withdrew from this program. The Americans used their experience to create the Skyguard laser missile defense system (tests began in 2008). Later, in the USA, Boeing and BAE Systems developed a new defensive system TLS, which, according to the developers, should hit cruise missiles, helicopters, airplanes and surface targets at distances of up to five kilometers. In 2012, Lockheed Martin introduced a compact ADAM laser air defense system for destroying UAVs, shells, missiles and mines at distances of up to five kilometers.
© Photo: Lockheed Martin Corporation
By the way, the new Russian supersonic anti-ship missile P-700 Granit flies through this laser fire zone in about six seconds.
In 2013, the United States tested a 10-kilowatt laser system and apparently shot down several mines and a drone. This year they planned to test an installation with a capacity of 50 kilowatts. Perhaps by 2020 a 100-kilowatt model will appear. However, to destroy ballistic and cruise missiles in the atmosphere, a power hundreds of times greater is required.
At the arms exhibition in Singapore in 2014, Israel presented the Iron Beam laser combat system, designed to destroy shells, missiles and mines at a distance of up to two kilometers. It can be noted that in all examples the range of laser systems does not justify the investment. And in the medium term, the creation of a long-range atmospheric laser looks unlikely.
Humanity has been working with combat lasers since the early 1960s. AND Soviet Union in this race was not inferior to the United States. Tests of Soviet combat lasers were carried out at the Sary-Shagan training ground in Kazakhstan. According to information from open sources, in 1982 the installation hit a radio-controlled target. Self-propelled complexes "Compression" and "Sangvin" were developed to disable the optical-electronic systems of enemy armored vehicles and helicopters, respectively. An attempt was made to launch the Skif laser combat station into low-Earth orbit to destroy American guidance satellites.
Be that as it may, laser developments have found application in the most different areas science and technology (CD players, instruments for determining exact distance, holography, surgery, metalworking). And perhaps the current “atmospheric” efforts of defense specialists will have an unpredictable beneficial result for civilians.
The first laser was demonstrated to the public in 1960, and Western journalists immediately nicknamed it the “death ray.” For more than half a century, scientists and engineers in the USA, USSR, and now Russia have been developing laser weapons. Tens of billions of dollars and rubles have been spent on these projects.
From time to time there are messages about successful tests laser weapons. One of the latest examples: in August 2014, a 30 kW LaWS laser gun was tested on the USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf, which burned out the engine on inflatable boat and shot down a drone. Note that in our country, drones were shot down with lasers 40 years ago. However, there are no real laser weapons either in Russia or in the United States. Why?
Here are some stories about laser pistols, shotguns and tanks that never became widespread.
1. Astronaut pistol
At a certain stage in the development of the Soviet space program, the military had a logical, from their point of view, question: how would the Soviet cosmonauts fight if it came to boarding and hand-to-hand combat in space. The answer was the astronaut's individual laser self-defense weapon. This artifact is now kept in the Museum of the Military Academy missile forces strategic purpose, where the laser pistol was developed in 1984.
The cosmonauts' emergency supplies actually have a firearm: a three-barreled TP-82 pistol. However, it is intended for use on the ground against wild animals in the event of an emergency landing. (The Americans, by the way, limited themselves to arming their astronauts with special Astro 17 knives.) However, it is difficult to use an ordinary pistol in space: firstly, the recoil from a shot in zero gravity is a big problem for the shooter, and most importantly, a bullet that pierces the skin of a ship will kill not only the enemy, but also the owner of the pistol. A laser beam looks like an ideal weapon for space, but it requires a very powerful energy source. And then the designers proposed using a pyrotechnic flash lamp to pump the laser. Such a lamp was made in the form of a 10 mm caliber cartridge, which made it possible to make a laser weapon within the dimensions of a conventional pistol. The magazine contained 8 rounds. A sample was also made in the form of a revolver with a drum for 6 rounds. The energy of its radiation was comparable to the energy of an air rifle bullet. The beam could damage eyes or optical instruments at a distance of up to 20 m, but did not penetrate the skin. The weapon was tested and manufactured in 1984, but it never reached serial production and adoption: détente began international relations, and purely military manned programs were closed.
2. Dazzling Vistas
On April 4, 1997, a Canadian Air Force helicopter accompanying the departure of the American nuclear submarine Ohio in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, bordering the United States and Canada, approached the Russian cargo ship Captain Man. On board the helicopter, in addition to the Canadian pilot Patrick Barnes, there was US Navy officer Jack Daly as an observer. They found the antennas on the Captain Man suspicious and the very fact of the appearance of a Russian ship in the strait at the moment the nuclear-powered submarine was leaving. It was decided to fly over and photograph the ship. During this operation, the pilot and observer recorded a flash on board the ship and felt severe pain in their eyes.
Doctors noted a burn to the retina of both the pilot and the observer. The cargo ship that arrived at the port was thoroughly searched: several dozen representatives of the FBI and the US Coast Guard inspected the ship for 18 hours, but no traces of laser weapons were found. Both victims, by the way, were forced to retire due to health problems. military service, and the American later even sued the Far Eastern Shipping Company, which owned Captain Man. Lawyers argued that Daley was the victim of a "brutal attack foreign country on American soil." However, it was not possible to prove that the impact occurred specifically on board the Russian ship. The bright point recorded in one of the photographs could have been a reflection from the porthole.
Blinding weapons were developed in many countries. China, for example, in 1995 demonstrated the ZM-87 laser gun, capable of completely depriving an enemy of vision at a distance of several kilometers. However, in the same 1995 it was signed international convention, which prohibits the use of lasers to permanently blind people. For temporary blindness - please. For example, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs is officially armed with a special laser flashlight “Potok”, which causes temporary loss of vision when exposed at a distance of 30 m. It was developed in the USA laser rifle PHASR. Britain used Dazzler blinding guns against Argentine airmen during the Falklands War. In October 1998, a laser damaged the crew's vision American helicopter in Bosnia. The use of a laser against US helicopters by North Korea was recorded, after which American pilots began to wear special protective masks. However, the line here is very shaky. A weapon that causes temporary blindness at a distance of 10 km will burn out the eyes from 100 m. There is another loophole: it is not prohibited to use a laser against optical systems, and if someone looks into the eyepiece from the other side, that’s his problem.
3. Laser tank
At the Military Technical Museum in Ivanovka, Moscow Region, you can see an amazing exhibit. Outwardly, it resembles a laser Katyusha with 12 optical “barrels” on the chassis self-propelled howitzer"Msta." Military unit, who donated this sample of weapons to the museum, did not even know the purpose of this equipment. Meanwhile, we are talking about the 1K17 “Compression” self-propelled laser complex. By the way, its creator NPO Astrophysics, one of the main developers of laser weapons in Russia, still refuses to provide information on this weapon, since the secrecy stamp has not yet been removed from it.
Any modern military equipment, be it an artillery system, a tank or a helicopter, has one weak point - optics. There is no need to destroy the armor; it is enough to damage the fragile optical systems, and the enemy becomes helpless. Laser is a great tool for this. The first such device in the USSR was tested back in 1982: the 1K11 “Stilet” self-propelled laser complex on the chassis of a tracked minelayer was designed to disable the optical-electronic guidance systems of tanks and self-propelled guns. Having detected the target by radar, the Stiletto used laser probing to find optical equipment using glare lenses, and then hit it with a laser pulse, burning out the photocells.
In 1983, another complex was created - “Sangvin”. It was installed on an anti-aircraft chassis self-propelled gun“Shilka” was intended to destroy optical-electronic systems of helicopters. At a distance of up to 8 km, the laser completely disabled the sights, and at a greater distance it blinded them for tens of minutes. 
Self-propelled laser complex 1K17 "Compression" became further development such a system. The optics can be protected from a laser of a certain frequency with a filter. The Compression had 12 lasers of different wavelengths. It is impossible to put 12 filters on the optics. In 1990, the complex was released in a single copy, passed tests and was even recommended for adoption, but the astronomical cost did not allow its mass production to begin. After all, for one complex it was necessary to grow 30 kg of artificial crystals. At the same time, the effectiveness of laser weapons in real combat raised very serious doubts among the military.
4. Gazprom laser weapons
On June 21, 1991, a fire broke out at well No. 321 of the Karachaganak oil, gas and condensate field. The flames flew up to 300 meters. The metal structures of the drilling rig prevented the fire from being put out. A tank was brought in to destroy them, but two days of firing led to nothing: the accuracy of the shots turned out to be insufficient to destroy the massive metal supports. The fire could not be extinguished for three months. It was then that emergency response specialists began to make inquiries: were there any more effective weapons in the country?
20 years have passed. On July 17, 2011, a similar accident occurred at the Zapadno-Tarkosalinskoye field in the Yamalo-Nenets region Autonomous Okrug. It took only 30 hours to eliminate the metal structures. Thick beams and pipes were cut using a 20 kW Mobile Laser Technological Complex (MLTK-20).
An even more powerful version of this system, MLTK-50, capable of cutting 120 mm thick steel at a distance of 30 m, was demonstrated back in 2003 at the MAKS air show, the general sponsor of which, by the way, is VTB. The complex was an installation mounted on a truck and a trailer: on one - the laser itself, on the second - aircraft engine, which supplies the laser with energy. Western experts looked at each other thoughtfully at the sight of MLTK-50. She really reminded them of something. Yes, in fact, no one particularly hid her true origin. The creator of the “technological complex for emergency response”, which was offered to anyone for $2 million, was... the Almaz-Antey air defense concern, with which VTB has had a long-term cooperation. Among the promotional materials was a video storyboard in which a laser beam shot down a drone. The document entitled “Tests of the effects of laser radiation on an aerodynamic target” is dated 1976.
MLTK, in fact, is a laser anti-aircraft gun with a dismantled guidance system. Why is this complex still not in service with our army? To answer this question, first let’s figure it out, what kind of power are we talking about? What is the 50 kW power that the MLTK-50 laser has? This is approximately two times less than the power of a shot... of the pre-war ShKAS aviation machine gun, which was installed on the I-15 fighter. At the same time, to provide the laser with energy, you have to carry an aircraft turbine with you in a truck, not to mention the fuel reserves for it. And ShKAS weighed only 11 kg.
Does the laser continue to fire? IN good weather- Yes. It is not for nothing that the Americans tested their laser weapon in the Persian Gulf. And what will happen, for example, in a snow storm in North Atlantic? The laser beam is very sensitive to dust, aerosols and precipitation. What will happen on a real battlefield, shrouded in smoke from explosions? How long will a combat vehicle, armed with a decent-sized telescope, even if it is painted, last in battle? green color? And in good weather, the range of the laser beam is not at all unlimited. The naval option seemed very promising direction the use of laser weapons: being based on a ship gave the complex the necessary mobility, and the size of the ship made it possible to place fairly powerful generators on board. As part of the Soviet Aidar program, an experimental laser installation was placed on the Dikson cargo ship, and power was provided by three engines from the Tu-154 aircraft.
Tests took place in the summer of 1980: they fired at a target on the shore at a distance of 4 km. The laser hit the target, but it turned out that only 5% of the radiation energy reached the target. Everything else was swallowed up by the humid sea air. As a result of all sorts of tricks, it was eventually possible to ensure that the beam burned through the skin of the aircraft at a distance of 400 m. In 1985, the Aidar program was closed.
5. Terra incognita
On October 10, 1984, on the American reusable spacecraft Challenger, which was flying at an altitude of 365 km above Lake Balkhash, communications suddenly went out, equipment malfunctioned, and the astronauts felt unwell. This is how the work of the 5N26/LE-1 laser locator manifested itself, tests of which were carried out at the Sary-Shagan test site. This project later became known as Terra. His goal was to create a powerful missile defense laser capable of shooting down ballistic missile warheads. However, on the Challenger that day, only a locator designed to scan space objects and warheads worked, and not a weapon to destroy them.
Nevertheless, the Americans quickly realized that their ship had been subjected to some kind of influence from the territory of the USSR, and they protested. High-energy location systems were no longer used to escort American manned ships. The LE-1 locator has confirmed its performance in many experiments. Its range accuracy was 10 m at a distance of 400 km. But things didn’t work out with the combat laser. To destroy a warhead, radiation of very high power was needed, and the laser has a very low efficiency: to generate radiation with a power of 5 MW, an energy of 50 MW is needed, and this is the power of a nuclear icebreaker.
In an attempt to solve this problem, it was proposed to use the energy of an explosion to pump, which created a shock wave in xenon in a so-called photodissipation laser. These devices were assembled from standard sections 3 m long. By increasing the length, it was possible to obtain a power 100 times greater than that of any laser known at that time. It is clear that such a device was disposable. To obtain the required power, it was necessary to detonate about 30 tons of explosives, so the combat radiation generator had to be located no closer than 1 km from its own guidance system. To transmit radiation over this distance it was supposed to use underground tunnel. Ultimately, this scheme was abandoned in favor of a different type of laser, the power of which was increased to 500 kW. With its help, a target the size of a Soviet five-kopek coin was hit, although close range. Alas, this was not enough to destroy the missile warheads. The result of “Terra” was summed up by Nobel laureate academician Nikolai Basov, scientific adviser of this project: “We have firmly established that no one will be able to shoot down a ballistic missile warhead with a laser beam.” The program was closed.
Academician Alexander Prokhorov, another Soviet scientist who, together with Nikolai Basov and the American Charles Townes, received the award in 1964, also worked on laser weapons. Nobel Prize in physics for fundamental work leading to the invention of the laser. His project was called “Omega” and envisaged the creation of a laser air defense system, which in power would be equal to the total kinetic energy of a standard surface-to-air missile warhead. On September 22, 1982, the 73T6 Omega-2M complex hit a radio-controlled target with a laser. Based on the results of these studies, a mobile version was created, but it was never accepted for service. The reason is simple. In terms of its total combat qualities, the laser system was never able to surpass anti-aircraft missile systems. Who needs an anti-aircraft gun that is hampered by clouds?
6. Space laser
On May 15, 1987, the first launch of the Soviet super-heavy rocket Energia took place. On the first flight, instead of Buran, it carried a huge black object with two inscriptions: “Mir-2” and “Pole”. The first of them had nothing to do with the object and was, in essence, a disguise or, if you like, an advertisement for a new generation Soviet manned station. And the second inscription – “Polyus” – was the unclassified designation of the program for creating the 17F19 “Skif” laser combat station. Launched in 1987, the object was called “Skif-DM”, that is, a dynamic layout.
The Skif battle station was a response to American program"Star Wars" - the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), which involved the destruction of Soviet nuclear missiles using nuclear-pumped space lasers. Our "Skif" was not intended to destroy missiles. Its target was guidance satellites, without which the SDI system would become “blind.” The Skif was supposed to use a gas-dynamic laser RD-0600 with a power of 100 kW. However, when using it in space, problems arose: to pump it, it took a large number of working fluid – carbon dioxide. The outflow of this gas destabilized the satellite, so a torque-free exhaust system was developed for space applications. Checking it was the main task of Skif-DM. The tests were disguised as a geophysical experiment to study the interaction of artificial gas formations with the Earth's ionosphere.
Alas, immediately after separation from Energia, the station with a diameter of 4 m, a length of 37 m and a mass of 77 tons lost orientation and sank in the Pacific Ocean. There is a version that “Skif” was destroyed on purpose. Three days before the launch, Mikhail Gorbachev announced that the USSR would not launch weapons into space. Formally, the Skif-DM did not have weapons on board, but its tests put the head of state in an awkward position. Naturally, a version emerged that this mistake was intentional. However, familiarity with the technical details does not provide grounds for such an interpretation of events. The error in the program appeared long before Gorbachev’s statements. Of course, we can say that the error was not corrected on purpose. But this is not true either. Simply no one knew about her. The error was recorded during ground pre-launch tests, but there was no time to decipher this data before the launch. However, even a successful flight would not have decided anything in the fate of the Skif. The Americans closed their SDI program, and we refused to launch laser weapons into space.
No one is against peaceful space, but there is only one way to persuade world powers to stop the arms race: by demonstrating that they will not have to give up weapons unilaterally.
What do we get as a result? Not a single development on laser weapons in our country has yielded real results? It's not all so sad.
7. Airborne laser
One of the most spectacular US laser programs was the creation of the YAL-1a air-launched system: a laser was installed on the Boeing-747-400F, with which it was supposed to shoot down missiles in the active part of the trajectory. The system was created and successfully tested, but its range turned out to be only 250 km, and it is unrealistic to fly to such a distance to a launching rocket on a Boeing 747 even in a war with Iran. The problem is that the laser beam in the atmosphere expands due to refraction: at a distance of 100 km, as a result of dispersion in the air, the radius of the spot already reaches 20 m. The energy of the laser beam, spread over such an area, is not dangerous for the rocket. Through the use of adaptive optics, the Americans managed to focus the beam to the size of a basketball at a distance of 250 km, but no more. In addition, modern Russian missiles They use simple techniques to combat laser exposure: they rotate in flight, that is, the beam cannot heat the same spot constantly. Our missiles perform convulsive maneuvers that cannot be calculated in advance. Finally, a thermal barrier coating is used. All this makes YAL-1a useless as a missile defense system. His laser is too weak for that.
The power of the HEL laser installed on the YAL-1a is, scary to think, 1 MW! This is less than the firing power of a conventional aircraft cannon. Moreover, the cost of each such “gun” the size of a Boeing 747 is about $1 billion. What prevents you from increasing power? In addition to the well-known problem with generators, which even at 1 MW require a huge transport aircraft, with more intense radiation the optics begin to melt. As a result, the Americans closed the program, on which, according to various estimates, from 7 to 13 billion dollars were spent, in 2011 it was closed as unpromising.
An air-launched laser was also created in the USSR. But with one significant difference. It was intended to destroy satellites, which are a much more adequate target for such weapons. Firstly, if you shoot up and not down, then the dense layers of the atmosphere do not scatter the beam. Secondly, to disable a satellite you do not need a very high radiation power - it is enough to damage its orientation sensors and target optics.
The carrier of the A-60 anti-satellite laser system was the transport Il-76MD. A guidance laser is installed in its bow, and the combat laser extends upward in the form of a turret, which, during “non-working hours,” is hidden under the doors in the upper part of the fuselage. The flying laboratory 1A made its first flight in 1981. The second copy - 1A2 - took off in 1991. There is information that the first laboratory burned down in 1989 during ground experiments at the Chkalovsky airfield. The second machine is still used for testing.
According to available information, the A-60 uses the same RD-0600 laser, which was supposed to be used on the Skif combat station and which by 2011 had passed full cycle tests. Its weight is 760 kg. And to pump it up, two AI-24 turbojet engines weighing 600 kg each are used. Power – 100 kW. Work in this direction is classified, but it was reported that on August 28, 2009, an A-60 laser hit a satellite at an altitude of 1500 km. Interestingly, this was the Japanese geophysical satellite Ajisal, which has reflective elements that make it easy to determine its location in space. The reflected signal was received from these elements. Ajisal did not have optics on board and was not damaged by the A-60 shot. But the reconnaissance satellite will be disabled under such influence.
Lasers are actively used in military affairs in targeting, reconnaissance and communications systems. However, a combat laser does not yet provide a real advantage over conventional weapons. Creating huge installations for destroying drones and motor boats, and only in good weather, is too expensive. For example, Israel abandoned a laser air defense system that was already ready and tested jointly with the United States in favor of the Iron Dome complex with conventional missiles.
The laser is not a battlefield weapon. This is a weapon to demonstrate one's superiority. Americans are free to spend money on it. But in Russia the situation is different, so laser weapons will be used only where they are truly effective.
The term “laser,” which is familiar to us, is an abbreviation for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, which translated means “amplification of light through stimulated emission.”
Lasers were first discussed seriously in the second half of the 20th century. First active laser device American physicist Theodore Maiman introduced it in 1960, and today lasers are used in a variety of fields. Quite a long time ago they found application in military equipment, although until recently we were talking mainly about non-lethal weapons capable of temporarily blinding the enemy or disabling his optics. Full-fledged combat laser systems capable of destroying equipment are still at the development stage, and it is difficult to say exactly when they will become operational.
The main problems are associated with the high cost and high energy consumption of laser systems, as well as their ability to cause real damage to highly protected equipment. However, every year the leading countries of the world are increasingly developing combat lasers, gradually increasing the power of their prototypes. The development of laser weapons would most correctly be called an investment in the future, when new technologies will make it possible to seriously talk about the feasibility of such systems.
winged laser
One of the most sensational projects of laser combat systems was the experimental Boeing YAL-1. A modified Boeing 747-400F airliner served as a platform for placing the combat laser.
The Americans have always been looking for ways to protect their territory from enemy missiles, and the YAL-1 project was created precisely for this purpose. It is based on a 1 MW chemical oxygen laser. The main advantage of the YAL-1 over other missile defense systems is that the laser system is theoretically capable of destroying missiles at the initial stage of flight. The American military has repeatedly announced successful tests of a laser system. However, the real effectiveness of such a complex seems rather doubtful, and the program, which cost $5 billion, was discontinued in 2011. However, the developments obtained in it have found application in other projects of combat lasers.
Shield of Moses and Blade of Uncle Sam
Israel and the United States are world leaders in the development of combat laser systems. In the case of Israel, the creation of such systems is due to the need to counter frequent rocket attacks on the country’s territory. In fact, while a laser will not be able to confidently hit targets like a ballistic missile for a long time, it is quite capable of fighting short-range missiles now.
Palestinian Qassam rockets are a constant source of headaches for the Israelis, and the US-Israeli Nautilus laser missile defense system was supposed to be an additional security guarantee. The main role in the development of the laser itself was played by specialists from the American company Northrop Grumman. And although the Israelis invested more than $400 million in Nautilus, they withdrew from the project in 2001. Officially, the results of the missile defense tests were positive, but the Israeli military leadership was skeptical about them, and as a result, the Americans remained the only participants in the project. Development of the complex continued, but it never reached mass production. But the experience gained during the Nautilus testing process was used to develop the Skyguard laser complex.
The Skyguard and Nautilus missile defense systems are built around a high-energy tactical laser - THEL (Tactical High Energy Laser). According to the developers, THEL is capable of effectively hitting missiles, cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles and drones. At the same time, THEL can become not only an effective, but also a very economical missile defense system: one shot will cost only about 3 thousand dollars, much cheaper than launching a modern anti-missile missile. On the other hand, it will be possible to talk about the real efficiency of such systems only after they are put into service.
THEL is a chemical laser with a power of about 1 MW. After the target is detected by the radar, the computer orients the laser system and fires a shot. In a split second, the laser beam causes enemy missiles and shells to detonate. Critics of the project predict that such a result can only be achieved in ideal weather conditions. Perhaps this is why the Israelis, who had previously abandoned the Nautilus project, were not interested in the Skyguard complex. But the US military calls the laser system a revolution in the field of weapons. According to the developers, mass production of the complex may begin very soon.
Laser in the sea
The US Navy is showing great interest in laser missile defense systems. According to the plan, laser systems will be able to complement the usual means of protecting warships, taking on the role of modern high-speed anti-aircraft guns, such as the Mark 15. The development of such systems is fraught with a number of difficulties. Small drops of water in humid sea air noticeably weaken the energy of the laser beam, but the developers promise to solve this problem by increasing the laser power.
One of the latest developments in this area is MLD (Maritime Laser Demonstrator). The MLD laser system is just a demonstrator, but in the future its concept may form the basis of full-fledged combat systems. The complex was developed by Northrop Grumman. Initially, the installation’s power was small and amounted to 15 kW, however, during testing, it also managed to destroy a surface target - a rubber boat. Of course, in the future, Northrop Grumman specialists intend to increase the laser power.
At the Farnborough 2010 air show, the American company Raytheon presented to the public its own concept of a combat laser, LaWS (Laser Weapon System). This laser system is combined into a single complex with the Mark 15 naval anti-aircraft gun and in tests managed to hit a drone at a distance of about 3 km. The power of the LaWS laser machine is 50 kW, which is enough to burn through a 40 mm steel plate.
In 2011, Boeing and BAE Systems began developing the TLS (Tactical Laser System) complex, in which the laser system is also combined with a rapid-fire 25-mm artillery piece. It is believed that this system will be able to effectively hit cruise missiles, airplanes, helicopters and small surface targets at a range of up to 3 km. The rate of fire of the Tactical Laser System should be about 180 pulses per minute.
Mobile laser complex
Another Boeing development - HEL-MD (High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator) - should be installed on a mobile platform - an eight-wheeled truck. During tests that took place in 2013, the HEL-MD complex successfully hit training targets. Potential targets for such a laser system could be not only drones, but also artillery shells. Soon the power of HEL-MD will be increased to 50 kW, and in the foreseeable future it will be 100 kW.
Another example of a mobile laser was recently presented by the German company Rheinmetall. The HEL (High-Energy Laser) laser complex was installed on a Boxer armored personnel carrier. The complex is capable of detecting, tracking and destroying targets - both in the air and on the ground. Enough power to destroy drones and short-range missiles.
Prospects
A well-known expert in the field of advanced weapons, Andrei Shalygin, says: “Laser weapons are literally line-of-sight weapons. The target must be detected in a straight line, the laser aimed at it and steadily tracked in order to transfer enough energy to cause damage. Accordingly, over-the-horizon destruction is impossible, and sustained, guaranteed defeat at long distances is also impossible. For longer distances the installation should be raised as high as possible. Hitting maneuvering targets is difficult, hitting shielded targets is difficult... In numbers, all this looks too banal to even talk about it seriously, compared to even primitive operating air defense systems.
In addition, there are two factors that further complicate the situation. The power supply of such a weapon in today's conditions should be enormous. This makes the entire system either extremely cumbersome, or extremely expensive, or has a lot of other disadvantages, such as a short total time in combat readiness, a long time to bring into combat readiness, the huge cost of a shot, and so on. The second significant factor limiting the effect of laser weapons is the optical inhomogeneity of the medium. In a primitive understanding, any ordinary bad weather with precipitation makes the use of such weapons below the cloud level completely useless, and protection from it is lower layers The atmosphere seems very simple.
Therefore, there is no need to say yet that samples of any know-how in laser weapons in the foreseeable future will be able to become something more than not the best melee weapons for naval groups in good weather and for air duels taking place above the cloud level. As a rule, exotic weapons systems are one of the most effective ways for lobbyists to make money in a “relatively fair” way. Therefore, in order to solve tactical problems with combat units within the framework of the art of war, one can easily find a dozen or two much more effective, cheaper and simpler solutions to the assigned tasks.
The airborne systems being developed by the Americans can find very limited use for local protection against air attacks above the cloud level. However, the cost of such solutions significantly exceeds existing systems without any prospect of reducing it, and the combat capabilities are significantly lower.
With the discovery of materials for the construction of superconducting systems operating at temperatures close to the environment, as well as in the case of the creation of compact mobile high-energy power sources, laser systems will be produced in Russia. They can be useful for short-range air defense purposes in the fleet and used on surface ships, for starters - as part of systems based on platforms such as the Palma ZK or AK-130-176.
In the ground forces, such systems in fully combat-ready form have been known to the whole world since the time when Chubais tried to openly sell them abroad. They were even exhibited for this purpose at MAKS-2003. For example, MLTK-50 is a conversion development in the interests of Gazprom, which was carried out by the Trinity Institute of Innovation and Thermonuclear Research (TRINITI) and NIIEFA named after Efremov. Its appearance on the market, in fact, led to the fact that the whole world suddenly moved forward in the design of similar systems. At the same time, at present, the energy systems allow us to have not a dual, but an ordinary single automobile module.
It seems that laser systems are not a weapon of tomorrow or even the day after tomorrow. Many critics believe that the development of laser systems is a complete waste of money and time, and large defense corporations are simply mastering new means with the help of such projects. However, this point of view is only partly true. Perhaps the combat laser will not soon become a full-fledged weapon, but it would be premature to give up on it completely.
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