The latest combat laser is being tested in Russia

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Laser weapons have long ceased to be the prerogative of science fiction writers. Moreover, with the advent of UAVs and cheap loitering ammunition, such weapons have become especially relevant.

To prove the feasibility of developing combat laser systems, simple arithmetic will suffice. For example, a shot with the cheapest Israeli anti-aircraft missile "Tamir" in its class will cost $ 50. At the same time, the cost of super-cheap loitering ammunition does not exceed 10 thousand. In turn, the laser in terms of rate of fire is in no way inferior to anti-aircraft guns. But the price of a shot from such a weapon will be about $ 1.



The idea of ​​using laser weapons against ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads belongs to the United States. The American Star Wars program envisaged the deployment of disposable satellites in orbit, converting the energy of a nuclear explosion into a laser beam.

However, later it became clear that to destroy the rocket it was not necessary to cut it into pieces, but only to heat it up. Moreover, such a procedure does not require megawatt power.

For example, during an exercise in 2013, the American 60 kW HEL MD laser successfully hit 150 aerial targets, including 60 mm mortar shells and small drones.

We have a similar development. The day before, there was evidence that a laser complex based on a BAZ-6910 wheeled tractor was put on state tests in Russia. The unit with an output power of 15 to 50 kW is designed to destroy aircraft ammunition, mortar shells and small drones.

The Russian laser is capable of firing up to 30 shots in a sector from -180 to +180 degrees horizontally at one refueling. At the same time, our system will be able to work effectively at temperatures from -20 to +50 degrees Celsius, which is about a quarter higher than the capabilities of competitors.

It is worth noting that the tests have already demonstrated the efficiency of the engineering structure, which means that the Russian laser has a chance to enter service in the foreseeable future.

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  1. Pandiurin
    Pandiurin
    -1
    26 December 2020 12: 41
    ... the laser is in no way inferior to anti-aircraft guns in terms of rate of fire. But the price of a shot from such a weapon will be about $ 1

    The author probably shoots from a powerful laser pointer)
  2. Nikolaevich I
    Nikolaevich I
    +1
    26 December 2020 14: 21
    to destroy a rocket, you do not need to cut it into pieces, but just heat it up.

    This phrase recalled a fragment from the description of the Mauler air defense system, which was once developed in the USA! Then they were going to use one idea ...: direct a laser beam at an air target and, after "warming up" the aircraft's glider skin, fire the device with anti-aircraft missiles with IK.GSN!
  3. shinobi
    shinobi
    0
    28 December 2020 08: 13
    Well, well, we'll wait and see. For a 50 kW laser, this is a painfully bulky unit.
    1. monman
      monman
      -2
      28 December 2020 19: 10
      For a 50 kW laser, it is a painfully bulky unit.

      The size of a military product is the quintessence of the development of science in the country. If a 50kW laser cannot be made smaller, then the reasons are on the surface, as in the 80s - we are proud of the largest microcircuit in the world ...
      1. shinobi
        shinobi
        0
        30 December 2020 05: 22
        You are wrong here. Domestic installations of 50 kW the size of a refrigerator are quite sold on the general market, the reason is something else.
      2. bulvas
        bulvas
        0
        30 December 2020 11: 15
        Chips have nothing to do with it.
        Source of power
        1. monman
          monman
          -1
          30 December 2020 22: 14
          Chips have nothing to do with ...

          Of course not, although who knows!
          From the history of the USSR. In the 70s, I served a Soviet computer, a copy of the IBM 360 (India secretly sold it to the USSR from amers, and the USSR created its own analog). But since microcircuits (MS) were Soviet, i.e. memory for 8kb, and the amers stood at 256kb, then you had to put a lot of MS. Hence, there is a lot of power, the huge size of the computer, etc. This is where the "largest microcircuit in the world" came from ...
          You're right - most likely the size is huge due to the power source. And he, in turn, is huge because the laser is most likely nuclear-pumped. But the question arises - is this size and only 50 kW? Americans put 50 kW lasers on their wheeled BMP Stryker:

          Officials from the Army's Energy Directed Air Defense Service (M-SHORAD) program - a key upgrade priority to equip a Stryker platoon with 50-kilowatt lasers in fiscal 2021 - has outlined new details for negotiations between Northrop Grumman and Raytheon scheduled for the third quarter of 2021. financial year. However, the army does not stop at 50-kilowatt laser weapons for the Stryker vehicles. The service is developing a prototype of a 100-kilowatt high-energy laser tactical vehicle (HEL-TVD) demonstrator, not only for installation on medium-sized tactical vehicles, but also to inform other directed energy efforts in the US military.

          https://www.militaryaerospace.com/power/article/14037629/laser-weapon-stryker-vehicles-50kilowatt

          And since New Year is coming soon, then my congratulations to you and the dance of 4 robots from Boston Dynamics:
          https://www.bbc.com/russian/media-55488913
  4. Yuri Kharitonov
    Yuri Kharitonov
    -1
    1 January 2021 17: 47
    And who intercepted the development of combat lasers after the defeated Astrophysics? And who and how solved the most important problem of laser aiming?