New combat complexes will soon show their capabilities
Laser complexes are now considered one of the promising means of countering unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This type of weapon, like all others, has its advantages and disadvantages. But now, in a number of countries, combat laser complexes are being created, which are either directly designed to counter UAVs, or can be used, among other things, for this purpose.
HOW THE LASER WORKS
Russia is no exception here, which has been a leader in the development of laser weapons systems since the Soviet era. Which is not surprising: for the first time, the principle of operation of a quantum generator (a class of devices that includes a laser) was described by Soviet physicists Nikolai Basov and Alexander Prokhorov in 1952. And the first working model of it was created by the American Charles Townes in 1953. Later, all three scientists received the Nobel Prize in Physics (1964) for these works.
The word "laser" itself is an acronym (an abbreviation that is pronounced together, not "spelled") from the English name of the device: LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, "amplification of light by forced (induced) radiation"). The laser is an optical quantum generator, that is, a source of coherent monochromatic light with a high directivity of the light beam. Since the launch of the first laser in 1960, various types of lasers have been widely used in science, industry, everyday life and other fields. Including, of course, weapons and military equipment.
The properties of laser radiation make it possible to create a narrow directional beam with a controlled power sufficient to physically hit or destroy other objects at a distance by focusing and holding the laser beam on the target for seconds or fractions of a second. As a result of achieving a high energy density in the radiation spot on the target, heating, ignition, melting or evaporation of materials, living tissues, etc. occur.
MILITARY USE
It is not surprising that the military has long been attracted by the idea of creating combat laser complexes. Laser weapons really have many advantages. The laser beam propagates at the speed of light, it is not noticeably affected by Earth gravity, such weapons have practically no recoil, they do not require ammunition, but only an energy source, etc.
However, laser weapons have their own problem points and disadvantages. Such as scattering and absorption of laser beams in the atmosphere and, accordingly, dependence on weather conditions and a number of others. The difficulties of overcoming them for a long time slowed down the large-scale introduction of lasers as a means of destruction.
Nevertheless, by the end of the Cold War, leading countries were actively developing lasers for missile defense (ABM) and for blinding the optoelectronic systems (ECO) of the enemy. For example, in the Soviet Union, for the needs of the ground forces in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, such self-propelled laser complexes as Stiletto, Sanguine and Compression, designed to counter the ECO, were created and tested.
The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR led to the curtailment or freezing of these and many other programs for the creation of laser complexes. And not only here, but also in other countries, because there was a reduction in military budgets. But against the background of the development and cheapening of technologies in the 1990s and early 2000s, lasers continued to gradually make their way and approach being put into service in different countries of the world - primarily as a means of countering various ECO. A classic example is the blinding laser systems of active counteraction on Chinese tanks ZTZ-99 (type 99) and their upgraded versions ZTZ-99A (type 99A), which are being produced now. They are designed for temporary or permanent disabling of optical and optoelectronic systems of various types of weapons and military equipment of the enemy. Naturally, at the same time, people – operators of weapons and equipment - can also go blind.
ANTI-DRONE REMEDY
Today, the issue of countering unmanned aerial vehicles is becoming increasingly acute – especially because of the difficulties experienced by traditional anti-aircraft systems in the fight against them. The threat posed by drones, especially numerous small-sized and inconspicuous UAVs, as well as various precision-guided munitions that can oversaturate the capabilities of modern anti-aircraft missile and artillery systems, has forced many countries to look for unconventional ways to counter.
Of course, the inherent disadvantages of lasers have not disappeared anywhere, but in the case of fighting UAVs, they are often not so pronounced. Unmanned vehicles are dependent on the operation of their sensors, so even the defeat of the drone's ECO alone may be enough to actually disable it.
In addition, in the manufacture of UAVs, they traditionally try to use non-metallic materials to the maximum to complicate detection by radar stations and to reduce the cost, which can make them more vulnerable to lasers. This is especially true of various commercial or homemade drones, which use a lot of plastic and wood in their manufacture: they are particularly vulnerable to heating and subsequent ignition or destruction under the influence of a laser beam. The low speed of such drones makes it easier to keep the laser beam focused on the target.
THE LATEST COMBAT COMPLEXES
The power and size of laser complexes that can be used to destroy UAVs differ significantly. The lightest short-range complexes with lasers with a power of 10 kW are actually specially "sharpened" to combat small-sized low-speed unmanned aerial vehicles at a distance of up to 1-2 km.
Striking examples of such weapons can be, for example, the experimental American laser complex MEHEL (Mobile Experimental High Energy Laser), whose power is now 10 kW, and it is being tested on the chassis of the Stryker armored vehicle. Or the French HELMA-P laser complex with a capacity of 2 kW, which they want to adopt by 2024.
Such complexes can also be additionally equipped with electronic jamming systems that are capable of suppressing the communication and navigation channels of some attacking UAVs before they approach the laser range in order to facilitate the latter's work. For example, the ALKA complex from the Turkish company Roketsan works on this principle, which is equipped with an electronic suppression system and a 2.5 kW combat laser. Capable, according to the developer, of destroying drones flying at speeds up to 150 km/h at a distance of up to 500 m.
DOMESTIC "ARMY"
There is a similar development in Russia – this is a multifunctional mobile complex for fighting drones "Rat" with a system of directed laser destruction. As far as can be judged from the information from the official website, the basis of the complex "Rat" is initially the complex "Flint" from JSC "TsNII "Cyclone" subsidiary of the holding company "Roselectronics" state Corporation "Rostec".
The "Army" complex was first presented at the Army 2020 forum. It consists of radar and optoelectronic stations for target detection, a system of directional ultrahigh frequency (microwave) suppression, a complex for automatic recognition and suppression of telecommunication control channels of UAVs, as well as a system of directional laser destruction with a power of 1.5 kW. All these systems are integrated with a single intelligent system for collecting, processing and displaying information and installed on a special armored vehicle SBA-70K2.
According to the information from the developer, the "Rat" complex can detect drones with an effective scattering area (ESR) of 0.01 sq. m and a speed of up to 200 km/h at a distance of up to 3.5 km. After that, directed suppression can be carried out against them at a distance of up to 2.5 km and suppression of telecommunication channels in a sphere with a radius of 1.5 km. And the physical destruction of the remaining UAVs is carried out using a laser at a distance of up to 1 km.
In June 2021, TsNII Zyklon JSC announced that they had successfully demonstrated the operation of the Rat complex to potential customers. As indicated in the message on the official website, during the demonstration, an assessment of the effectiveness of the main subsystems of the complex was carried out – including the laser defeat complex; the radar detection system; the suppression system of radio control channels, navigation and communication of the UAV. As a result of this demonstration, the customers confirmed the declared characteristics of the complex.
BLIND SPIES
As far as can be judged, many laser complexes developed in different countries remain absolutely secret until now. So, in Russia, officials report on the development of new combat laser systems, including for combating multiple UAVs. Information about new laser complexes is also leaking out of China, and at times there are even shots of unknown lasers appearing in the troops.
Special secrecy is maintained with respect to the most powerful laser systems – for example, those designed to counter enemy reconnaissance satellites. So, in China, according to American intelligence, ground-based lasers have been deployed to blind and damage the optoelectronic systems of reconnaissance satellites.
Therefore, the capabilities of the Russian combat laser complex "Peresvet", which has entered service with the Russian army in recent years, look very interesting. Now these complexes are on combat duty in the positional areas of five missile divisions of the Strategic Missile Forces.
RUSSIAN "PERESVET"
The vast majority of information about this laser complex remains classified. But judging by the information published in open sources, presumably the Peresvet complex is designed to blind the optoelectronic systems of enemy satellites in order to conceal the movement of mobile ground-based missile systems with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
What is especially important is that despite the rather large size of the complex, it remains mobile. A combat vehicle with a laser and presumably an energy module with a small-sized nuclear power plant are placed on semi-trailers with KamAZ tractors. The remaining elements of the complex are mounted on the chassis of KAMAZ trucks.
Given the estimated power and mobility of this laser complex, "Peresvet" can also be used to counter unmanned aerial vehicles, if necessary. After all, if the complex is capable of blinding the ECO of satellites, then it can effectively blind the ECO of even high-altitude UAVs.
The threat from drones significantly spurred the development of laser weapons, as a result, even complexes specially "sharpened" to combat this threat began to appear. And for more powerful laser systems, they have become one of the important goals.
In total, more than a dozen countries have already announced the development and creation of their own laser weapons. The race that has begun involves major world and many regional powers, such as Russia, China, the United States, EU countries, Israel, India, Iran, North Korea, Turkey, Japan, etc.
While many laser systems are still at the experimental stage, but some of them are going to military trials or are beginning to enter service. Thus, it can be expected that in the near future combat lasers will finally occupy a certain niche on the battlefield.
Vasily Ivanov
Vasily Ivanovich Ivanov is a journalist.
