Taiwan is poised to roll out a prototype 50-kilowatt (kW) vehicle-mounted laser weapon system by the end of the year, thanks to technical breakthroughs made possible through global assistance, a defense official said yesterday on condition of anonymity.
The project, which last year produced a low-powered prototype, is expected to create a full-powered system mounted on CM-32 Clouded Leopard wheeled armored vehicles for use against missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles, the official said.
The state-run Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has made great advancements in the project over a relatively short period with technological assistance from “international friends,” they said.
Photo: screen grab from Raytheon’s Web site
A 50kW laser possesses enough raw power output for combat applications, and the institute hopes that the system would be adopted by Taiwanese armed forces following the completion of trials and demonstrations, they said.
Members of the institute involved in the project have published articles in military journals exploring the operational potential of coupling directed-energy weapons with the army’s AN/TWQ-1 Avenger air defense vehicles, the official said.
The articles discuss the possible utilization of a laser system against the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Chengdu GJ-1 series of drones, as well as rocket and missile weapons, they said.
Directed-energy weapons are an emerging class of air-defense systems being developed to supplement conventional weapons, which are more expensive to fire and could be overwhelmed by a large number of drones or missiles.
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett has said that the estimated cost for intercepting Hamas missiles with a laser weapon is about US$3.50 per shot, whereas a Tamir interceptor, utilized in Israel’s Iron Dome system, costs US$40,000 to US$50,000.
Earlier this week, US defense media reported that four Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense prototypes had been dispatched to the Middle East to test “real-world applicability” operating in dusty conditions.
Directed-energy weapons are electromagnetic systems that convert chemical or electrical energy to radiate focused energy on a target to cause physical damage that degrades, neutralizes, defeats or destroys a hostile capability, according to the US Office of Naval Research.
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