Missile Laser - Solution for air defense

The detection and interception of missiles to limit the risk of aircraft being attacked in the air can be done easily with laser technology in the future.

Malaysia flight MH17 on July 17 is believed to have been shot down in eastern Ukraine by Buk anti-aircraft missile system. The infrared satellites locate missile launchers as the Donetsk region, stronghold of pro-Russian separatists.

Attacking or shooting down objects in the air is not easy. The US ballistic missile defense system, a way to deal with nuclear attacks, is still being studied and tested. The attack on a missile by missile is considered very complicated.

However, since lasers are a beam of light, they will travel faster than any weapon launched, so this is considered a useful solution that can prevent aerial attacks.

Laser weapons system of the US Navy.(Photo: US Navy)

According to experts' estimates, 100 kilowatt laser beams will be deployed in the next few years. Late last year, the US mobile laser weapon (HEL MD) was tested with a 10 kilowatt laser beam. The military intends to continue developing HEL MD 50 kilowatt and 100 kilowatt lasers in the future, with the aim of making high-power lasers, which can destroy aerial mortar bullets, control direction and detonate toss.

Laser weapons do not fly like bullets but must remain focused on the target, similar to the way children use magnifiers to observe a beetle. The laser unit focused on the moving target while performing the task of burning it. This process will not destroy the missile completely but instead, the missile will be disabled.

Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system costs about $ 45 million for launchers and $ 40,000 for each interceptor missile to be fired. Meanwhile, according to experts, the laser system can solve this financial problem.

Development or improvement of the laser system is costly at first, but is a cost-effective method of finishing and being put into use. The US Navy spends $ 40 million to produce laser systems, but by design, a shot will only cost about a dollar, cheaper than the types used for similar purposes.

Many controversies are being raised around the use of this weapon, such as how many lasers are needed to neutralize the rocket or whether the laser can destroy the rocket. Current lasers can only block smaller weapons than missiles. This is kind of feasible, easy to apply in practice.

Rocket-blocking laser technology is still being studied in the laboratory and tested. However, the development of energy weapons shows that missile blocking lasers and aircraft protection will be an early solution to be applied in the future.

Experiments with HEL MD show that the system can track targets and flying laser objects. Lockheed Group has successfully tested a laser that can intercept and blow up missiles. The idea of ​​installing lasers on aircraft is also included in the research plan of BAE weapons manufacturing group. This laser can shoot down missiles in the air.