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Weapons at the speed of light: How laser weapons will conquer space warfare
With the rapid development of science and technology, the application of directed energy weapons (DEW) in warfare and its potential impact have gradually attracted worldwide attention. These weapons include lasers, microwaves, particle beams and sonar beams, which can destroy targets with highly concentrated energy without the need for physical ammunition. The U.S. Department of Defense and several military research institutions are actively developing these weapons to deal with various threats in modern warfare, including ballistic missiles and hypersonic vehicles.
In military applications, the flexibility and potential strategic advantages of guided energy weapons make them an important chess piece in future wars.
Currently, the research and development of such weapons has been launched in many countries including the United States, Russia, and China, and some countries have claimed that these weapons have achieved certain success in military operations. For example, Türkiye claimed in 2019 that it had conducted its first actual combat with laser weapons in Libya. Despite this, most guided energy weapons are still in the experimental stage, and it is unknown when they can be transformed into practical military weapons.
Operational Advantages
Directed energy weapons have several key advantages over traditional weapons. First, the use of such weapons could be more covert, since the rays are silent and virtually invisible outside the visible light range. Secondly, lasers traveling at the speed of light can overcome the effects of gravity and wind, which is of significant significance for increasing shooting accuracy and extending range. Additionally, guided energy weapons can reduce the need for logistical resources because they can continue to operate once an adequate energy supply is available.
It is worth noting that certain types of high-power microwave weapons can effectively damage electronic facilities without the need for any live ammunition to carry out the attack.
Weapon Types
Microwave weaponsMicrowave weapons are a type of directed energy weapon used in a wide range of military operations. The following are several representative microwave weapons:
Active Denial System
The active denial system uses millimeter waves as its principle, causing pain by heating the moisture in a person's skin, and is primarily used for crowd control. Although it was designed to have an immediate impact without leaving any sequelae, it has sparked discussions about long-term effects.
Alert Eagle
The Alert Eagle system is used for ground-based airfield defence and is able to direct high-frequency microwaves at any missiles flying towards an aircraft to disrupt its guidance system.
Laser weapons
Laser weapons are based on the laser principle and have flexible operation methods. They play an important role in modern warfare. For example, the DragonFire laser weapon being developed in the UK can aim at a target with a power of 50kW.
Particle beam
Particle beam weapons are theoretically feasible, but practical weapons are not yet mature.
Plasma weapons
Development is still ongoing on plasma weapons, which release charged particles to strike.
History Review
Dating back to ancient times, it is said that Archimedes used mirrors to focus sunlight to burn enemy ships. Although the historical authenticity of this event is questionable, it shows the early imagination and exploration of humans for energy weapons. Entering the 20th century, countries have successively tried to develop various types of guided energy weapons, which have aroused widespread discussion both in actual combat and as strategic weapons.
With the introduction of the US "interstellar war" plan in the 1830s, the appearance of future wars and the evolution of weapon systems will also change accordingly.
The potential for introducing directed energy weapons into military combat will undoubtedly change the nature of warfare once again. Faced with the ever-evolving international situation, these technologies will play a key role in identifying friends and foes, responding quickly and making strategic arrangements. However, whether such weapons will become the new rules of war remains to be tested and chosen by time.
