US develops laser weapons for fighter jets

The US military is researching futuristic laser weapons and is expected to equip them on Air Force fighter jets as early as 2022.

Image simulating a close combat between aircraft equipped with laser weapons. Photo: Breaking Defense.

The US Navy spent $40 million in September to install a 30 kW Laser Weapon System (LaWS) on the USS Ponce amphibious transport dock ship. The weapon has not been used in actual combat and has only been test-fired against drones.

"The weapon can destroy sensors, burn out engines, and ultimately detonate whatever explosives the target may be carrying. By focusing on key points, the sailors on Ponce have reduced the time it takes to shoot down a drone," Breaking Defense quoted Admiral Matthew Klunder, Chief of Naval Research, as saying.

The Pentagon wants to install 100-plus kW LaWS on external weapon pylons on US Air Force fighter jets by 2022.

However, laser weapons technology still has some major limitations. It takes too much energy to create a laser beam capable of causing damage. Furthermore, it is easier to install a machine capable of providing this energy source on a ship.

“Airborne applications are probably the biggest challenge,” says David Hardy of the Air Force Research Laboratory. “There is more size, weight, and power (SWAP) that can be put on a ship than on an aircraft. Plus, aircraft tend to vibrate more than ships.” The Air Force hopes to overcome these challenges in the next few years.

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently announced that the High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS) project has created "a 150 kW laser weapon that is 10 times smaller and lighter than comparable lasers." They are small enough to be installed on aircraft.

“A 150- to 200-kilowatt laser is capable of dealing with surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles,” said Mark Gunzinger, author of a study for the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. That intensity “could absolutely be used” against manned aircraft, “especially at altitudes where the air is thinner.”

The power of LaWS on an aircraft is limited only by the amount of fuel. "LaWS can fire as long as the aircraft has enough fuel to convert into electricity for the laser," Hardy said. Some estimates suggest that a laser shot costs just 1 liter of fuel, much cheaper than an air-to-air missile.

According to VnExpress