What is a laser weapon?

The laser is a quantum optical generator. Today, there are no lasers for military use, except for the American ALTB (military laboratory with a prototype of such weapons on board). All the rest is just R & D.

Laser weapons (the so-called "rays of death") excite the imagination of both philistines and scientists. Recently, the media has been filled with information about developments in different countries of this type of weapons. There are reports of practical experiments with him. What is this in general and what is the actual situation in this sphere today?

Laser weapons are based on the use of high-energy electromagnetic directional radiation, which is generated by various kinds of lasers. Its action is determined by shock-pulse and thermomechanical action, which can lead to mechanical destruction of the affected object, as well as temporary blindness of a person. If the work is done in a pulsed mode, at a high energy density, then the thermal effect is accompanied by a shock.

Laser weapons on the principle of action is divided into blinding, burning, overheating, electro-magnetic-impulse and projection (project pictures on clouds that can demoralize an unprepared opponent).

At present, the most suitable for use are chemical, nuclear-pumped, solid-state and free-electron lasers.

Over the past decade, laser weapons have been improving at a particularly rapid pace. This is due to the transition from the pumping of its active elements to the lamp-like method by means of laser diodes. The possibility of generating radiation with different wavelengths makes it possible to use it for both force action on the target and for information transfer.

Now work is underway to create X - ray lasers, whose radiation is 100-10000 times larger than the energy of lasers in the optical range. It is able to penetrate even through large strata of different materials. The X-ray laser hits the target by means of a pulsed impact, which causes the surface material to evaporate.

Laser weapons are characterized by the hidden use (no smoke, flame, sound), high accuracy, its action is almost instantaneous, comparable with the speed of light. But its damaging effect depends on the transparency of the atmosphere, therefore, in difficult weather conditions (fog, snowfall, rain, smoke, etc.), it decreases.

What is the laser weapon of Russia? Nikolay Makarov, chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, said that in Russia, as in the world, work is under way on a combat laser. Then he added that "it's too early to talk about his characteristics."

Thus, Russia's perspective weapons are not yet directly related to the laser. This is what the official sources say. Although Russia was the first country to achieve significant results in the region. She started developing tactical weapons before the States and has prototypes of precision chemical war lasers.