China unveils 2.47kW portable laser weapon that works in Arctic cold, Saharan desert

The laser, developed by China’s National University of Defence Technology, beams enough power to disable drones and cut through several materials from over 0.62 miles (1 km) away.

Chinese scientists have developed a portable 2-kilowatt (kW) fiber laser weapon that can operate in extreme temperatures. Reportedly capable of functioning in conditions between -58°F (-50°C) and 122°F (50°C), the new laser does not require cooling or heating systems. This breakthrough means the laser can be used anywhere on Earth, from the Arctic to the Sahara, without the need for bulky infrastructure.

If true, the innovation is an impressive feat as most lasers of this power class require massive cooling units (like air conditioners in a shipping container) to avoid overheating or freezing. The device has been developed to cater to defense and industrial sectors.

“We have achieved a technological breakthrough in the performance of wide-temperature operating fibre lasers,” Chen Jinbao, vice-president of the National University of Defence Technology which led the development of the laser, explained in the paper published in the Chinese-language journal Higher Power Laser and Particle Beams in July.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the laser was achieved through a series of innovative developments. The first is a novel pump laser design that naturally produces less heat, helping reduce the need for large cooling systems.

These pump lasers feed energy into the laser-generating fibre. They also integrate smart light injection (9 forward, 18 backward diodes) to send light in multiple directions.

This helps the system stay balanced and efficient, even when temperatures shift drastically. The new laser tech also ensures thermal isolation by moving heat-sensitive parts out of the core laser cavity, keeping them safe from extreme temperature effects.

Tight fibre cooling to a specific diameter of around 3.15 inches (8 cm) helps suppress unwanted light paths (called parasitic modes) that can waste energy or destabilize the beam.

The last, and arguably most important, is the technology’s ytterbium-doped fibre core. Ytterbium is a rare earth metal abundant in China, and is excellent for lasers because it can handle wide temperature ranges. It is also able to convert energy into laser light very efficiently (71% in this system).

Packaging all this together enabled the team to develop a laser that, at 68°F (20°C), achieves a peak power of 2.47 kW with near-perfect beam quality. That’s enough power to disable drones and cut through many types of materials from over 0.62 miles (1 km) away.

Furthermore, the new fiber laser comes with some distinct advantages over other traditional militarized laser systems, such as HELMA-P (France) and IDDIS (India), which require large trucks to transport cooling systems.

China’s laser is portable enough to fit in a suitcase, making it ideal for use in mobile units, drones, or on the battlefield. It should come as no surprise, then, that this laser will likely find a home within the Chinese military.

Beyond military applications, such a laser could be helpful in industries that require precision cutting, welding, and anti-drone protection in factories. It will also prove useful in remote sites, where climate control isn’t always possible.

Moreover, because China controls most of the global supply of ytterbium, this gives the country a home-field advantage in this tech.

Next, Chen and his team are aiming for higher power outputs, wider operating temperature ranges, and better engineering integration to make the device even more compact and rugged. “We will continue to advance experimental research and engineering development, targeting both higher output power and broader operating temperature ranges,” Chen added.

You should see the size of the battery pack ...

My battery back is 90kWh. I'm trying really hard to be more energy self-reliant as long as the Dims every now and then wield power and implement their warmageddon cult energy policies. We have an all-electric house and do most of our driving in the EV car (though we every now and then drive the gas pickup). Even with that, we haven't pulled from the grid since April 8, and that was just 29 kWh (total for both April 7 and April 8). Before that we didn't pull from the grid until you go all the way back to March 15.

If I could make my own gasoline or natural gas and store them for later I would. But I can't. So I go with solar, which can be done decentralized (meaning not expecting the power company to build solar farms for the grid). Solar isn't as good as hydrocarbons, except that my solar system is regulated by two people I trust: God provides the sunlight and I manage what happens to the power after that.

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