Chinese military scientists have announced that they have created an advanced cooling system for high-powered lasers. Specifically, it maintains power to a focused beam system “indefinitely” without overheating. The futurism reported by former British military officer Steve Weaver: “It would put China ahead of the United States in more ways than one.”
The military always strives to have the latest technologies to ensure the security of the territories. Therefore, seeing the Chinese military developing weapons using experimental lasers is no surprise. Believe it or not, many armed forces are applying never-before-seen battlefield technologies. People should know how these innovations could protect or harm them.
This article will detail the latest Chinese laser technology. Later, I’ll cover other military projects like AI-powered fighter jets and automated mission planners.
How does the Chinese laser work?
The South China Morning Post first ran the story regarding China’s latest laser technology. According to Indian media WION, Yuan Shengfu and scientists from the National University of Defense Technology worked on it.
On August 4, 2023, they published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Acta Optica Sinica. He says the cooling system removes heat from inside the laser weapon.
It “has limited vibration and turbulence and improved mirror cleaning through improved structures and optimal gas flow.” Futurism says it blows gas which blows through the weapon to remove excess heat.
Another laser research paper by Yuan Shengfu describes this process as “film cooling”. It reduces the temperature of a laser weapon’s nozzle by coating it with helium. As a result, weapons can fire laser beams indefinitely while maintaining performance.
Sheng Fu and his colleagues described past laser technology by saying, “Since the invention of the first ruby laser in 1960, people have been excited to switch from kinetic energy to laser energy for rapid projection of energy at the speed of light, dreaming of laser beams becoming “death rays” capable of instantly killing targets. »
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“Unfortunately, 60 years have passed, and although various types of lasers have been developed, the application of high-energy laser systems has not been successful,” they added. Conversely, the Chinese laser marks “a huge breakthrough in improving the performance of high-energy laser systems.”
Shengfu and his team believe it could dramatically change warfare by extending engagement times, improving damage and range, and reducing costs and logistics.
Former British military official Steve Weaver said the breakthrough could give China a significant advantage over the United States. “If (Chinese scientists) have overcome heating and distortion issues as claimed, in a (relatively) small enough unit to deploy. This is a big breakthrough considering the American failures in this area.
What are the other latest military breakthroughs?
Photo credit: thedefensepost.com
The Chinese laser is impressive, considering how other armies use lasers. Most armed forces use lasers for holographic sights, airstrike targeting systems, and intercepting incoming missiles.
However, this does not mean that other countries have slowed down technological developments. The United States is testing a jet equipped with an artificial intelligence system.
The Department of Defense and global security firm Lockheed Martin form the VISTA X-62A or Variable Flight Simulation Test Aircraft. Its AI systems allow it to imitate existing vehicles.
For example, it could function as the MQ-20 combat drone or the F-16 fixed-wing fighter. The VISTA allows the DoD to test military AI systems without risking active aircraft.
Contrary to popular belief, the United States will not yet replace its air force with autonomous systems. However, Lockheed Martin said it will “keep people in check while allowing them to be safer, more efficient and better able to focus on higher level tasks by enabling them to make more informed decisions quickly”.
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The Israeli army also uses an artificial intelligence system called Fire Factory. It “calculates appropriate ammo loads, prioritizes targets, assigns them to aircraft and drones, and comes up with a schedule.”
Fire Factory selects locations to be bombed, assigns them to aircraft and plans their operations. Consequently, the Israeli armed forces have become more efficient.
Colonel Uri, head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Digital Transformation Unit, said: “What used to take hours now takes minutes, with a few more minutes for human review.” He added: “With the same number of people, we are doing a lot more. The future of defense systems and the military will depend heavily on artificial intelligence.
Conclusion
Chinese military scientists have developed laser systems that can fire beams indefinitely. It coats energy weapons with a gas to prevent them from overheating.
However, we should always take scientific breakthroughs with a grain of salt. We must demand further evidence before believing such claims. For example, scientists got excited when South Korean experts claimed they had made a room-temperature superconductor.
Experts around the world have tried to replicate their findings and have concluded that LK-99 is not a superconductor. Check out other digital trends on Inquirer Tech.
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