U.S. space-based laser weapons can really do to deal with ballistic missiles?

According to the U.S. Boeing Company November 18, 2009 reported in May of this year, the Boeing Company for its mobile laser weapon system performance is tested, tracked and destroyed a mini-UAV. The experiment funded by the U.S. Air Force, location is located in California, China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center. The mobile initiative aimed at a comprehensive source of test equipment (Mobile Active Targeting Resource for Integrated experiments, MATRIX) by the Boeing Company for the Air Force developed in the laboratory can be used to single-beam high-intensity laser to shoot down five UAVs are at different distances.

Have a lot of the media and the military agreed on China's Second Artillery Corps fans Dongfeng missiles began to worry that the U.S. space-based laser weapons, the birth of China's missile will have a very lethal threat. In accordance with common sense, indeed laser weapons, including missile weapons, including precision-guided weapons, nemesis, in addition to direct "hit burn" precision-guided weapons, but also through the optical electromagnetic interference effect "blinding" precision-guided weapons, this is indeed are the soft underbelly of precision-guided weapons.

But we still need to sober and objective analysis of issues, can not be generalized to emphasize one side of. Laser weapon itself is a directional weapon, its use is not all-weather application, subject to rain and inclement weather such as ice fog haze of interference, but will be greatly attenuated, and the loss of the basic performance of weapons. Therefore, for space-based weapons platforms, as long as the atmosphere will be subjected to inclement weather after the interference can not play the best performance. Laser weapon itself should be the best means of attack other than the atmosphere, after all, the space environment, where relatively "quiet." But for "Boeing 747" Such a large aircraft carriers because of its ceiling is limited, so can not be the best to play into the atmosphere outside of combat effectiveness, while limiting the types of weapons used.

Similarly, the carrier itself needs a certain airspace to carry out activities in this area is difficult to ensure that the implementation of a "vacuum", it is inevitable in the standby time was the enemy's long-range attack planes, which is the tactical consideration.

In addition, precision-guided weapons, in particular the implementation of the first body of the missile after the separation will normally be a certain rate of rotation, can not be guaranteed to provide a fixed area to focus on ablation laser weapons, which itself is a kind of missile weapon system of self-protective measures. Thus, from the current perspective, the U.S. space-based laser weapons is more of a weapon the ideal test platform, did not have high-speed precision-guided weapons, in particular, the substantive threat of ballistic missiles, therefore, in today's round of the laser Dongfeng missiles against the process, still can not nonetheless wind.

But one thing we must recognize that high-power laser weapons would be loaded from the land-based space-based platform that enables the miniaturization of large-scale laser weapon is indeed a science and technology reflected the Americans came out on top. This is something we can not be taken lightly, after all, the future of laser weapons will be more space-based and space-based as the basic platform, the final interpretation of "Star Wars" a magnificent scene.

Posted in: laser weapons，China's ballistic missiles