Chinese laser gun - beginning of the end of the projectile era?

[simonrichter]

Obviously, the Chinese managed to pack a laser into a assault rifle sized weapon that is able to set clothing afire from 800m. I wonder whether we are actually witnessing the beginning of the end of the projectile weapon era? That would be bad news for us as civilian shooters, since we'll never get a hold on that technology and have to stick with what we have now which will become obsolete after weapons of that kind become the primary armament of military and LE...

[kozak6]

I doubt it. Techcrunch says the battery alone would have to weigh a couple hundred pounds.

https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/01/ch...f-a-mile-away/

[simonrichter]

Apparently, they managed to pack the energy for 1000 shots into a 7 pound weapon...

[davidsog]

Here is an OLD US LASER DESIGNATOR:

http://americanhistory.si.edu/collec...ct/nmah_714274

I love the Chinese Official description :

"Feel Pain beyond Endurance!!"

Ha ha ha!! You Die, GI!! You Numba 10!!

They have teleportation too.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/6...arth-to-orbit/

https://cosmosmagazine.com/physics/c...hoton-to-space



https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/0..._cant_used_uk/

[eastbank]

don,t believe every thing you read. even light cover would defeat it if it were true.

[Armorer-at-Law]

That would be bad news for us as civilian shooters, since we'll never get a hold on that technology and have to stick with what we have now which will become obsolete after weapons of that kind become the primary armament of military and LE...

And that's what the archers and spearchuckers said when gunpowder was invented.

[MTT TL]

The technology has been out there since the 80s. The US Congress refused to fund such weapons. The military wanted to make them because they could strike enemies blind from a distance with the lasers and render them combat ineffective. Congress felt that blowing the enemy to bits conventionally was much more humane.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

There was an international agreement to ban such, IIRC. The logic was that folks would rather lose a limb than be blinded. Blinding weapons were deployed to Somalia before the ban but not used. One incident had a person targeted but decided not to an instead blew him up.

One application was a high power laser scan across a battle field by a vehicle mounted weapon. Conventional optics of an opponent's scope would funnel the beam right into their fovea for destructive effects.

If this is true, someone else can research the details. I read it in an ophthalmology site years ago.

[TXAZ]

Don't believe everything (anything?) you read from Chinese technology claims.

It sounds more like they want to put down protesters with banners at home.

Setting paper on fire at smaller distances is something you can do for $100
Burning laser

(Don't believe the 30Watt claim, but it will pop dark balloons and burn paper at 25 yards)

[MTT TL]

If this is true, someone else can research the details. I read it in an ophthalmology site years ago.

I recall reading a print article about the same time frame with pretty much the same thing.


This laser rifle will absolutely blind people of it will burn through clothing at range. I doubt it is good for a 1000 shots. I can't get a Chinese made battery to last half as long as one made in the US by a reputable manufacturer. Don't even get me started on Chinese CR123s

Israel currently uses Iron Beam, which is a copy of a US Laser AD system that can destroy targets at listed ranges of over 12 Miles and fits on a truck. They have been testing and occasionally using laser weapons since the 90s.

Laser weapons are completely impractical for police use for a myriad of reasons. There are serious questions to their applicability in combat as an anti-personnel weapon due to the Clinton era treaty. Tactically they also host of problems if there were no paper. They make Rule 4 a nightmare for example.

[DaleA]

Back in 2014 there was a story about a laser weapon being deployed on the USS Ponce which was out in the Persian Gulf.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.ea9073143096

The Ponce is now back in US waters and is destined to be scrapped. This story about the Ponce doesn't mention them ever using the laser in earnest.
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...nto-retirement

Personally I believe a lot of military folk would be reluctant to use a laser weapon because of the 'political' fallout they might encounter about being the first to use it. But I don't know if somebody, anybody, maybe from another country, has already used a laser weapon in combat. I'm cynical enough that if the commander of the Ponce HAD used the weapon there would be folk in our government that would claim "I was shocked, SHOCKED to find such weapons on our ships." (Apologies to the movie Casablanca.)

[MTT TL]

The laser weapon system was moved to the Portland. They don't have anyone attacking them so yeah it isn't being used outside of tests.

[dahermit]

don,t believe every thing you read. even light cover would defeat it if it were true.

And maybe a mirror to reflect it back at the shooter?

[cslinger]

7lb.....1000 shot......1000 meter.....man portable laser weapon. Ummmmhuuhh. Sure. I mean will the trained sharks of the Chinese Navy have these “frickin’” things mounted on them as well.

Color me skeptical.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Literally impossible with current technology... but could be a lie by implication.

Sure, the part the guy holds onto weighs 7lbs. Never mind that it’s hooked to a tank sized battery and laser generator behind him.
Think fireman holding a fire hose.

[TXAZ]

It’s absolutely possible. You guys just don’t know how to interpret Chinese new technical specs
(Divide every claim by 10, multiply the weight by 3, the volume by 5, and add 5 years to a be initial schedule)
While living in that neck of the world, they claimed our new military tech item couldn’t actually work in such a small package because theirs was much larger.
Really bad guess for them.

[44 AMP]

Jump the shark!! frikkin Sea Bass with phased plasma rifle in 40 watt range....

The 15mm calibre weapon weighs three kilos (6.6lb), about the same as an AK-47, and has a range of 800 metres, or half a mile, and could be mounted on cars, boats and planes...

The weapon’s lithium battery can apparently handle over 1,000 laser bursts that last around two seconds each.

there you go folks, AND they're only $15,000 a piece and ready for production now!! Get yours today!! order before midnight and not only will you get free shipping, but if you pay a small handling fee, we'll include a second laser unit free! Not sold in stores....

Line of sight, no drop, no wind drift, no recoil, silent (sort of) and INVISIBLE!! Ideal for covert ops!! or, is it??

It's not stated in the article that it's man portable, they mention mounting it on cars, boats, & airplanes....

unit weight of 3 kilos, no mention of self contained battery, so the battery COULD weigh 200 kilos. Mentions battery endurance (over 1,000 2 second shots) no mention of recharge cycle time. What if it takes 3 minutes to recharge between shots??

Mention of what the laser can do to targets, no mention of how long the beam has to be held steady in one spot to do that damage. 2 seconds??

Ok for structures and vehicles, much less so as an anti personnel weapon.

I don't see any good hunting use for a laser death ray, (shoot and roast your duck with the same shot??) and I'm doubtful of its defensive capabilities vs conventional firearms. Not that its can't kill, but can it STOP an attacker and do so in time?
And, what about overpenetration??? There's lots and lots of questions that need answering before we think about replacing firearms with lasers.

it does, however add a new wrinkle to the "mass vs energy" debate.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

The Chinese just launched two new 'cruisers' that out gun anything we have.

Their size equals that of the heavy cruisers at the beginning of WWII.

http://www.janes.com/article/81499/c...usly-in-dalian

They have 4 now and 2 more building. Said to be candidates for rail guns!

The end of gun powder. Eventually, we will all carry a primary rail gun and laser backup. That is except for the guys who still want to carry a Judge.

[Andy Blozinski]

One of the news articles I read about this Chinese system mentioned a lot of claims were made and absolutely zero has been produced to back up that it's true.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Out gun? Well, they have more displacement. They are using a phased array radar. The USN has been using that since 1980. They have 112 VLS cells (The Ticonderoga laid down in 1980 and scrapped in 2004 had 122 cells).

If the Chinese hope to beat the U.S. Navy in blue water combat, they’ll need more than six modernized versions of a class we’ve been scrapping for the last 14 years.

[armoredman]

They have little experience in the deep blue, I fear. Davy Jones will be happy to take them in.
As for the "laser rifle", does it come in the 40 watt range?

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Not to divert but I wouldn't discount a country coming up to speed in naval warfare. The Japanese went from a non-modern tech society to a naval superpower fairly quickly.

As far as the 40 watt rifle, it will be carried by their armies of Lenovo terminators. Remember those terra cotta soldiers - this time they will be T-800s or later models.

[Evan Thomas]

Originally Posted by Dr. Meyer

Not to divert but I wouldn't discount a country coming up to speed in naval warfare.

Very true. It's not like it's rocket science.

[4V50 Gary]

10,000 tons is the upper limit of a Washington Treaty cruiser. Of course, there were cheaters like the Germans and Japanese who underreported their tonnage. Our post Treaty Baltimore cruisers were heavier too at 14,000-17,000 (latter is full displacement).

That said, lasers would be about the only thing that can intercept a hypersonic missile that the Chinese and Russians have. I know we've got things that the public is not made aware of.

My big question is when will Harbor Freight sell the Chinese "distance measuring" or "levelling" tool?

[Glenn E. Meyer]

We have a crash program to develop our own hypersonic missiles. From what I read, we sat on our butt with Harpoons as we didn't think there would be a credible threat at sea every again. We are buying Norwegian missiles now to upgrade our ships.

The problem with the hypersonics is that unless you manage to divert them, the mass of the projectile still keeps coming. That was a problem with the Kamikazes in WWII.