Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

Data for: Lockheed Martin RELI laser, developed under contract with DARPA

According to the China National Defense Science and Technology Information Network reported [Site March 30, 2011 Roundup] Naval Research Council is studying a number of future weapons, but many ideas are not more than free-electron laser, the weapon is expected mid-2020 will be able to within a second of about 609 meters through (Editor’s note: sic, doubtful) of steel.

the United States in recent years has been committed to directed energy weapons research, mainly due to ship for the powerful laser is an ideal platform because they have weapons-grade laser systems required for space and capacity. The first set of lasers (to be deployed in the next 10 years) may be the traditional solid-state lasers, can transmit a continuous beam, a bit like a laser pointer. Solid-state lasers is their wavelength of light is fixed, but depends on the weather, the farther away from the wavelength will be more weak. Thus, in 2020, you can choose a free electron laser, it can take a variety of wavelengths to the output energy without the large weight of the larger solid-state infrastructure.

free-electron laser is basically a fast-moving electron can be converted to the photon particle accelerator. February 2011, the Navy’s prototype free-electron laser has produced 200 kW beam, it can penetrate in a second steel plate about 6 meters. The U.S. Navy’s ultimate goal is to reach MW class free electron laser, and in one second through 609 meters of steel.

present, free-electron lasers are about as big a football field, but it is for the equipment on the aircraft carrier may be relatively large size. But as technology improved, will continue to reduce the size of the laser, while making it more efficient by 2015, its volume will be reduced to 15 m × 6 m × 3 m. By 2020, it may also smaller, can be mounted on helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles to use, I believe 2030 will be able to achieve its volume reduced to the extent of holding will also be far off. (China Research Institute of Shipbuilding Technology and Economy in the red)