
Boeing ABL ( Airborne Tactical Laser System) laser generator
China Laser , starting no later than the Soviet Union , but the fundamental strategic thinking different. July 18, 1960 , Mao Zedong central work conference in Beidaihe called : " must be determined to engage in cutting-edge technology. " December 16, 1963 , Mao Zedong listening to Vice Premier of the State Science and Technology Commission report years Nie Science Technical planning , stressed that : " die off , to organize a group of people dedicated to research it. have dined a small group of people do not do anything else for the study of it. does not result did not matter. military offensive weapons, in addition to Attention to issues of defense , and perhaps our future is mainly defensive in combat . offensive weapons , atomic number than we do not win people over . War has always been offensive and defensive needs two hands , fortification , digging caves are anti- Well . "
According to Mao Zedong 's instructions, Marshal Nie relevant departments of the project to proceed laser guns . Deng Ximing Chinese Academy of Sciences , who participated in this work. Laser guns work on the history of fragments , Deng Ximing November 1989 recalled:
March 1964 , Defense Science and Technology Commission Zhang Aiping , Qian small high-level meeting held in Beijing (about 30 people). Valley Academy of Sciences Yu, Wang Dezhao and I attended . Research and deployment of the means of defense strategy and major projects . Qian conveyed at the meeting on strengthening the strategic defense of Chairman Mao 's instructions. The meeting also took 1 / 3 of the time discuss the possibility of the laser as a means of defense . After the meeting, Qian said to me: " ranges have to prepare together, building a shooting range have to spend a few years time. " at the meeting , Qian general guiding principle is three lines of defense : anti-missile missiles ; Super Gun powder target; laser . He said to me: "The future of laser guns , there are ideas , and I also saw you in person to the exhibition hall of the ruby laser, but ultimately the light gun may currently envisaged beyond recognition, because the technology in the development of In . "
The end of March , the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Institute Qian party made specific plans , with the exception of laser guns , there are chemical laser research, inductive energy storage research .
After May 1 , Zhang Jinfu personally drafted the report to the National Defense Commission , the main contents are:
(1 ) want to use 4-5 years in developing megajoules a range of 3,000 meters, light gun prototype ;
(2 ) can be successful, the scale in the 70s , resulting in millions of joules or more laser weapons;
(3 ) in case of unexpected difficulties , it will promote the use of intermediate outcomes ;
(4 ) a clear lead by the Chinese Academy of Sciences .
Reform and opening up , the first to propose the "863 plan " recalled Wang Daheng Academy " ruby laser " process of birth , but also with deep feeling . He said:
" ruby laser "was born in Kunming, the optical plant, the KMT government in the country before the war created a unique optical factory. Principal military binoculars,
The plant has a very high level of technology may be compared to the then European general optical factory . The plant to continue to set aside the military , as the basis for the development of military optics . China is now the backbone of military optics , mostly directly or indirectly from the plant.
In 1960, the world has witnessed the first ruby laser . We realized this was a lofty promising something new. Wang Jiang and Deng Ximing in less than a year to developed some innovations in the structure of domestic ruby laser . Given the significance of the results of a breakthrough to Jiang and Deng Ximing Wang inspired two of the pioneers of laser business , and immediately wrote a letter , " Science Bulletin ", describes the advent of the scientific significance of the laser and its development prospects. This is our first paper on the laser , it seems even today , it was also very instructive .
March 1979 , Comrade Deng Xiaoping 's speech on the central special committee also noted that " we have to add a little laser power, spend more power. defense, hit aircraft, tanks, mainly relied on the future certainly need them. there is a Chinese scientists told me that the U.S. has hit the satellite with a laser into the test has been laid at a time. will hit the tank with a laser , the laser will air war era, the era of space laser . It is said that the cost is lower than other weapons . "
Gao Zhan, a great man of science is far told his predictions , the study indicates that China 's overall premise of laser weapons is a positive defense. This is very different from the strategic basis for the US-Soviet hegemony . Today's era that we read these stories from deep within the heart can not help the older generation of party and state leaders admiration overlooking the future strategic vision it!
Laser weapons are the earliest and the most widely studied , and has achieved considerable results in the directed energy weapons. To the 80s of last century the world's military powers have been put forward their own plans for laser weapon systems , some of them into the test equipment. Such as the famous 1982 British -Argentine war, the British Navy in the destroyers equipped with the laser glare on the device , the pilot was forced to drop bombs in Argentina significantly reduced accuracy . During the brief Falklands war , did not make laser weapons shine . U.S. Navy has announced that they occurred when naval exercises to monitor the Soviet Union by Soviet naval vessels had pilots on the "sudden injection of light " cases of blindness .
Authority of the U.S. military magazine "Defense News " also reported in 2007 , China on many occasions in the past few years, high-performance laser weapons, spy satellites in the United States flew reconnaissance over China , the " interference from the ground to attack , disrupt the normal operation of the satellite . " The report also refers to the U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed the news. Apparent seriousness, that there was not disclose the name of the Department of Defense official said , "According to different sources of information, development of the PLA in recent years, substantial investment in ' anti-satellite ' weapons, its capacity has surpassed Russia, and even may have the matter sorted out the United States on an equal footing . " The United States that China has the technology matured and never worries about the satellite will be under attack. U.S. Air Force admitted that , since China carried out the " anti-satellite missile test ", the U.S. military satellite of its own growing concerns about safety .
Appendix: Soviet "space-based laser weapons , " the failure of R & D
United States, " Wall Street Journal " reported on August 13 , " Aug. 10 , the U.S. Missile Defense Agency for the prototype Boeing 747-400F is equipped with an infrared sensor, use it to intercept a launch from the island of St. Nicholas , California Missile. In the missile after launch , the Boeing 747-400F aircraft to detect, track and simulated missile launch from an aircraft intercept incoming missiles in the process. This is the first time the U.S. Missile Defense Agency ' instrument ', confirm the on-board missile Laser weapons development work. Next , the agency will conduct the first live test this fall , using an airborne laser weapon to intercept ballistic missiles . "
British " Daily Telegraph " that the Navy shot down a moving target with laser weapons , has made the dream of science fiction into reality. The tests in California , in terms of laser weapons is "very important day ... ... more real than Star Wars . "
For a time , the U.S. military , including a variety of ground-based laser weapons , and space-based and carrier-based airborne laser Dress up one after another debut , stunned the world with great posture . Well-known defense sites in Canada , " Global Research "recently wrote that " the U.S. intention to move against Russia was tantamount to a showdown with the latter for public . " Ever since, the country 's "military fans " netizens are also some public sentiment sweeping .
A variety of laser weapons the U.S. really so mysterious it? Older readers will not forget the point , seventies and eighties of last century , there was the Ministry of science fiction films caused a sensation in the country , it is the novel of the same name of " coral die off the island . " Which describes this so-called " death ray ", is what we now call the laser.
Laser technology was born from that moment on, scientists realized that a new technology as potential life- killing weapons . Thus , the first named is the " death ray "-" death ray . "
During the Cold War , Soviet hegemony , for laser weapons research and development, must be with the opportunities to seize the arms race and strategic struggle . Back in history, so little daggers drawn, murderous . Of course, full of talent, technology, financial and institutional contest.
1981, Americans developed "space shuttle " success , which the Soviet Union had a strong shock. Generally believed that the Soviet military : the space shuttle ( Chinese for " space shuttle "the translation ) is a nuclear weapons deployed in outer space can be a platform that leads from the ground war in the United States wishing to outer space, first to build a space-based weapons Platform.
March 1983 , the Reagan Administration proposed the " Star Wars "program, a new round of the two superpowers then opened the space arms race . United States has focused on the development of ion beam weapons, laser weapons , microwave weapons directed energy weapons, the Soviet Union to catch up in terms of laser weapons . Compete with the space shuttle in outer space as a weapons platform can be used in the U.S. ballistic missile defense deployment and the secret weapon - " Polar "spacecraft , " energy " carrier rocket , " Storm "space shuttle , etc., become Soviet version of " Star Wars " program core.
According to declassified files now see, " Polar "was by the service module and the two cabin combination of weapons bay . Service module has four main drive engines, 20 auxiliary used to adjust the spacecraft attitude engines, 16 posture tuning engines, solar wings , etc.; spacecraft integrated management systems, communications systems, remote sensing control system, heating system , antenna and other Civilian scientific experiment also install equipment in the cabin . Weapons bay mainly used to configure the laser weapon system, the cabin, carbon dioxide storage tank, two turbo- compressors, EVA is equipped with rotating laser turret .
" Polar "was the core weapons developed by the Salyut Design Bureau of the carbon dioxide laser , with higher output power, given the 10.6 -micron wavelength laser beam, with good penetration . But there are also the Soviet Union the laser product defects, such as bulky, energy conversion efficiency is low, heat the disadvantages . Salyut Design Bureau, the initial selection of laser power is 2 MW , the end result size and weight reasons have to use the power of 1 MW of small lasers. The laser is only in the IL -76 had completed initial testing of transport aircraft to the needs for political tasks directly into the spacecraft.
May 13, 1987 , to test space-based laser weapons , " Polar "was launched into the state. This eve of the CPSU Central Committee General Secretary when he had come to the Baikonur Gorbachev , visited the stands on the launch pad of the "energy" rocket and " Polar "spacecraft . Then, with confidence to New York to attend UN meetings. Unexpectedly , the launch for " Polar " carrier rocket control system broke down not reach its intended orbit , resulting in 80 tons of heavy fall back to the atmosphere when the spacecraft disintegrated explosion finally splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. The launch vehicle failures caused by the tragic fall , the Soviet Union permanently banned space-based laser weapons, military pilot 's dream . Events were judged to be damaged at the time the Soviet national interests, and in a highly confidential for researchers to be discipline, and some suffered political persecution , and even jail. Since then , the Soviet Union did not conduct further research and development of laser weapons in space and testing . But here 's international defense experts believe that the revival in Russia , and ambitious weapons development program, may not be considered the successor of the Soviet Union did not "heritage . " After all, failure is the mother of success . As a pioneer of space-based laser weapons , which Russia might be possible for the future space-based laser weapons development and practical basis .
Reflections on the Soviet Union 's " space-based laser weapons , " the failure of research and development , and its fundamental error is in the choice of space-based or land-based weapons platforms appear off . Americans are engaged in land-based , shipboard are feasible , with the Boeing aircraft airborne platform is really as Americans speak so effective , especially the use of civil aircraft disguised interceptor missiles in enemy borders , and perhaps some absurd.