Judging from the current development of laser weapons, the Navy may become the first service to deploy laser pointer weapons among the three services. This is not only because the Navy has been advancing the development of laser weapons for a long time, but also because ships can easily solve problems such as load, thermal management, and electricity. In the next 20 years, the Navy's laser weapons will enter the stage of rapid development, all-round deployment and actual combat applications.
Fiber optic and solid-state slab lasers may become the first laser weapon systems on board. Due to the large size of the "free electron laser", it is difficult to integrate with the existing ship platform, and it has been in the technical research stage of increasing the power from 10 kilowatts to 100 kilowatts, and it is difficult to achieve shipboard deployment in a short period of time.
In the context of the current budget cuts, the Navy must formulate a clearer and more affordable laser weapon development strategy. Based on these considerations, the U.S. Navy will slow down the research and development of "free electron lasers" and focus on the development of laser weapons such as fiber and slab solid-state lasers that can be deployed in actual combat in the short term.
At present, the 33-kilowatt fiber laser has begun to be tested on the ship, and the 150-kilowatt fiber laser will also be tested at sea in 2018. In terms of technological maturity, the fiber laser may become the first weapon system capable of actual combat. Cheng defense mission.
The Navy will realize the actual combat of shipborne laser weapons in phases. The Navy will implement the deployment of shipborne laser weapons in three phases: In the near future (before 2017), focus on the development of 60-150 kilowatts of fiber and slat solid-state lasers, focusing on close-range defensive operations (about 1.6 kilometers). Targets include photoelectric sensors, small ships, unmanned aerial vehicles, rockets, etc.
In the mid-term (before 2022), develop 300-500 kilowatt solid-state laser weapons, increase combat distance, and have the ability to intercept surface and air targets at the 16 km level; in the long term (after 2025) develop megawatt-level free electron laser weapons, capable of destroying supersonic speed Cruise missile and ballistic missile capability.
The practical application of shipborne green laser pointer weapons still has to overcome many technical bottlenecks. Before shipborne laser weapons are used in actual combat, it is necessary to solve the problems of new ship design, how to maintain or improve the beam quality when amplifying power, and the integration of various systems. In terms of carrying platforms, due to the extremely high power consumption of ship-borne laser weapons, the ability to carry this type of weapon mainly depends on the ship's power supply and cooling capabilities.
At present, only the "Ticonderoga" cruiser and the DDG-51 "Arleigh Burke" guided-missile destroyer of the Navy's active surface ships have the capability to carry laser weapons slightly higher than 100 kilowatts under combat conditions. To this end, the 25,000-ton San Antonio-class amphibious landing ship has been used to study the technology of the next-generation amphibious landing ship. The power supply and available internal space will be fully considered to effectively carry high energy laser weapons.