PNN – “Financial Times” newspaper wrote in a report: Well-known military companies in the West are rapidly moving towards the production of laser weapons in order to deal with new missile threats such as drones.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network from this English newspaper, Companies such as “RTX” in the United States, “Kinetic” (QinetiQ) in the UK and “MBDA” (MBDA) in Europe have made significant investments in advanced laser technology.
This report added: In the West, the competition for the production and deployment of weapons whose laser beams destroy metals and destroy electronic devices has gained a new urgency. Meanwhile, many countries are looking for more cost-effective ways to deal with the rise of drone warfare and cheap missiles.
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Taking down a $100 or $1,000 drone with a $1 million interceptor is not economically sustainable at all, says James Black, a defense researcher at RAND Europe, a non-profit research institute.
Referring to the defense initiative of Ronald Reagan, the former president of the United States, known as “Star Wars” (a defense measure against possible long-range ballistic missile attacks of the former Soviet Union), Financial Times wrote: For decades, the United States, inspired by the plan, has conducted research into so-called “energy-guided weapons” such as lasers and high-powered microwave systems. Although lasers have been used as range finders and to focus pilots on the battlefield, with advances in computing, optical and fiber optic technologies, countries are now realizing the need to use them as more effective weapons. Military industry experts argue that the rise of unmanned aerial combat has highlighted a “cost asymmetry” in which the cost of defense is greater than the cost of attack.
Earlier this year, the US military used high-energy lasers to shoot down drones in the Middle East, marking a milestone for the burgeoning industry. Also, the militaries of Britain, France, Russia, South Korea and China have all invested in the development of directed energy weapons.
In the end, the Financial Times added: Despite recent advances, military experts believe that the use of laser weapons in the short term is likely to be limited because, in addition to the high cost of developing lasers, their power and range can be significantly reduced by smoke or other pollutants in the atmosphere.