Philippines Accuses China Of Aiming 'Military-Grade Laser' At Patrol Vessel

A handout photo appears to show the alleged laser light from a Chinese ship in the South China Sea on Feb. 6, 2023. © Philippine Coast Guard  

Time: Philippines Coast Guard Accuses China of Blinding Crew With ‘Military-Grade’ Laser 

The Philippines has accused China of “a blatant disregard” and “clear violation” of sovereignty, alleging that a Chinese coast guard ship last week directed a “military-grade laser light” at a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the hotly contested South China Sea, temporarily blinding the Filipino crew onboard. 

A statement released Monday by the Philippine Coast Guard said the Chinese vessel “illuminated the green laser light twice” and “also made dangerous maneuvers” to block a Philippine fleet from delivering supplies to another ship grounded at Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Ayungin Shoal, a disputed atoll 120 miles off the west coast of the Philippine island of Palawan.  

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Philippines Accuses China Of Aiming 'Military-Grade Laser' At Patrol Vessel  

Philippines accuses China of aiming 'military-grade laser' at ship -- Reuters  

South China Sea: Philippines says China used 'military-grade' laser against boat -- BBC  

China Temporarily Blinds Filipino Crew in ‘Blatant' Laser Attack, Philippines Says -- AP  

China Coast Guard points laser on Philippine patrol vessel BRP Malapascua -- Navy Recognition

US Navy Successfully Test-Fires Laser Weapon In The Middle East

The USS Portland conducts a high-energy laser weapon system demonstration on a static surface training target while sailing in the Gulf of Aden, December 14, 2021 © US Naval Forces Central Command / Devin Kates 

Business Insider: A US Navy warship blasted a floating target with a laser in the Middle East 

* The US Navy warship USS Portland test-fired a laser weapon against a floating target in the Middle East. 

* The test follows another in May 2020, when the laser was used to disable a flying drone. 

* Developing laser weapons is a key area of research for teams across the military. 

A US Navy warship operating in the Gulf of Aden successfully fired on a floating target with a high-energy laser weapon system this week, the sea service revealed Wednesday. 

The test, which the Navy carried out Tuesday, was a demonstration of the Solid State Laser - Technology Maturation Laser Weapons System Demonstrator (LWSD) Mark 2 MOD 0 aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Portland. 

The service is testing whether mounted lasers can defend ships from small boats and even unmanned vessels.  

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US Navy Successfully Test-Fires Laser Weapon In The Middle East  

US Navy fires laser weapon in Mideast amid drone boat threat -- AP  

USS Portland Uses Its Experimental Laser To Fry A Floating Target In The Middle East -- Warzone/The Drive  

US Navy conducts high-energy laser weapon demonstration in Gulf of Aden -- Defence Blog  

Navy tests laser weapon in Mideast -- The Hill  

US Navy fires laser weapon in Gulf of Aden amid drone boat threat -- Middle East Eye  

Navy successfully test-fires new laser weapon off Yemen coast: report -- NYPost  

US Navy tests laser weapon in Middle East -- RT

US Army Is Developing The Most Powerful Laser Weapon In The World

Pictured: A beam director element of the Army's Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) 

Daily Mail: US Army is developing a the 'most powerful' laser in history which will vaporize targets using short pulses and produce powerful signals to disrupt enemy electronics 

 * The Tactical Ultrashort Pulsed Laser for Army Platforms will emit short pulses

 * For a scant 200 femtoseconds, the burst would be a million times stronger than current lasers 

 * The result would evaporate the surface of a drone and cause a blast wave 

 * Its also though the USPL could cause an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) 

The US Army is developing its most powerful laser yet that is a million times more powerful than current systems. 

Most laser weapons fire a continuous beam until a target melts or catches fire, but the Tactical Ultrashort Pulsed Laser (UPSL) for Army Platforms will emit short, pulse-like bursts. 

Its being designed to reach a terawatt for a brief 200 femtoseconds, which is one quadrillionth of a second, compared to the 150-kilowatt maximum of current systems. 

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Update #1: US Army Is Building The World's 'Most Powerful' Laser Weapon (Interesting Engineering) Update #2: The US Army is building the most powerful laser weapon in the world (New Scientist) 

WNU Editor: The US Army has a lot of catching up to do when compared to the US Navy .... Navy to Fully Integrate Laser into Aegis Combat System (Updated) (National Defense).

After Launching Laser Attacks Against U.S. Air Forces In Djibouti, Chinese Nationals Are Now Starting To Do The Same Thing In The Pacific

Popular Mechanics: Laser Attacks Against U.S. Forces Spread to the Pacific

The laser strikes follow reported incidents in Djibouti by Chinese military personnel.

Laser attacks against U.S. forces have spread out of Africa into the Pacific. U.S. personnel operating in the East China Sea area have been the victim of blinding laser attacks similar to those that took place earlier this year in Djibouti. The attacks, conducted with nonlethal lasers were reportedly carried out by Chinese nationals.

Earlier this year the Pentagon issued a NOTAM, or “Notice to Airmen” warning U.S. pilots of “unauthorized laser activity” resulting in injury to an unspecified number of U.S. personnel in the skies over Djibouti. The lasers originated on or very near China’s first overseas military base, just 8.3 miles from the American base, and according to U.S. officials, Chinese nationals were involved. The U.S. issued a formal complaint to China, which denied the accusations.

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WNU Editor: If this continues an accident is just waiting to happen.

US Navy Showcase Their New Laser Weapon In Action

CNN: Exclusive: CNN witnesses US Navy's drone-killing laser

(CNN)In the sometimes hostile waters of the Persian Gulf looms the US Navy's first -- in fact, the world's first -- active laser weapon.

The LaWS, an acronym for Laser Weapons System, is not science fiction. It is not experimental. It is deployed on board the USS Ponce amphibious transport ship, ready to be fired at targets today and every day by Capt. Christopher Wells and his crew.

CNN was granted exclusive access to a live-fire test of the laser.

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Update #1: US Navy Tests Laser Weapons System in Persian Gulf -- Sputnik
Update #2: The US Navy Works Directed Energy Weapons -- Second Line Of Defense

WNU Editor: As I had mentioned in yesterday's post .... The Birth Of Laser Weapons (July 16, 2017) .... we are still far away from having these weapons generally deployed due to energy constraints, but this laser platform on the USS Ponce amphibious transport ship appears to be a winner and a promise of things to come.

U.S. Army Successfully Tests A Laser Gun On An Apache Helicopter

RAYTHEON

The Drive: "Laser Apache" Has Successfully Zapped Targets On White Sands Missile Range

This is a major breakthrough in both tactical laser development and rotary-wing air warfare.

We reported on the concept and test program over a year ago, and now it has finally happened—a AH-64 Apache equipped with a tactical high-energy laser (HEL) successfully took out targets on the White Sands Missile Range. The test is a major breakthrough in directed energy weapons and rotary-wing air warfare to say the least. Above all else it is a glimpse of what's to come on the battlefields of the near future.

The statement from Raytheon, the primary contractor on the laser test program, reads:

"A high energy laser mounted on an Apache AH-64 attack helicopter acquired and hit an unmanned target. The test was conducted by Raytheon and the U.S. Army Apache Program Management Office in collaboration with U.S. Special Operations Command at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

It was the first time a fully integrated laser system successfully shot a target from a rotary-wing aircraft over a wide variety of flight regimes, altitudes and air speeds, proving the feasibility of laser attack from Apache.

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More News On The U.S. Army Successfully Testing A Laser Gun On An Apache Helicopter

US Army tests laser on Apache helicopter -- Defense News
The Army successfully tested a laser gun on an Apache helicopter -- Business Insider
The Army Just Test-Fired A Frickin' Laser Beam From An Apache Attack Helicopter -- Task & Purpose
The US Military Just Attached a Laser Weapon to an Apache Gunship -- War Is Boring
US Army Apache Attack Helicopter Outfitted With Laser Gun Crushes Target -- Sputnik

Lockheed Martin Demonstrates A New High-Power Laser Weapon

Lockheed Martin's Athena laser has this truck's engine sizzling with a laser beam fired from over a mile away. Lockheed Martin

IBTimes: Lockheed Martin's Athena Laser Fries Truck Engine From More Than A Mile Away

Lockheed Martin is showing off new fiber-optic laser technology capable of frying the engine of a truck located more than a mile away. Known as Athena, for Advanced Test High Energy Asset, the laser was unveiled after the military contractor made it known that it is also experimenting with fiber-optics that could disable enemy warplanes and rockets flying overhead.

Lockheed tested Athena this week, proving it has the precision and power to knock out a small, stationary truck sitting on cinderblocks. The truck didn't explode, unlike in the movies, but the engine was rendered useless, with Lockheed suggesting there could be a future in nonlethal weapons.

More News On Lockheed Martin Demonstrating A New High-Power Laser Weapon

Lockheed Martin's laser can stop a truck from over a mile away -- Endgadget
Lockheed demos new high-power laser weapon -- UPI
Laser weapon system stops truck in field test -- Phys.org
Lockheed tests new 30kW ATHENA laser weapon system -- Army Technology
Lockheed Martin's Athena Laser Can Disable Vehicles A Mile Away -- Tech Times

Developments In Laser Research Is Catching Everyone's Attention .... Especially The Military

Carlos Hernandez-Garcia, director of the injector and electron gun systems for the free-electron laser program, shows off the navy's futuristic gun. Kelley Vlahos

Navy Breaks World Record With Futuristic Free-Electron Laser -- FOX News

WASHINGTON – The Navy just set a new world record, a test blast from a new type of laser that can shoot cruise missiles from the sky in seconds with a deadly accuracy that simply doesn't exist in the military’s vast arsenal today.

And that new record moved them one step closer to proving the "holy grail" of laser guns is real.

To create incredible power requires incredible energy. After all, the more power one puts into a laser accelerator, the more powerful and precise the light beam that comes out on the other end. During a private tour of the Jefferson Lab in Newport News, VA., on Friday, FoxNews.com saw scientists blast unprecedented levels of power into a prototype accelerator, producing a supercharged electron beam that can burn through 20 feet of steel per second.

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My Comment: What can I say .... but this is impressive. There is more info here.