Military & Aerospace

Laser Weapons: The Future of Air Defence?
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Issue Net Edition | Date : 10 Jun , 2022

Early Efforts

One of the early efforts was Project Excalibur that was a cold war era research program to develop an X-ray laser system  to be used as a  (BMD) for the United States. The concept involved packing large numbers of expendable X-ray lasers around a nuclear device, which would orbit in space. During an attack, the device would be detonated, with the X-rays released focused by each laser to destroy multiple incoming target missiles.

The  Boeing program met with some resistance due to problems in making a compact system  as the test version was mounted in a truck the size of a shipping crate and was not found suitable for operational use.

The Soviets developed the first handheld laser weapon, intended for use by cosmonauts in outer space, 17F19DM Polyus/Skif-DM  a laser-armed orbital weapon and the  1K17 Szhatie but they never went beyond  the experimental stage. The Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI), popularly referred to as the Star Wars programme, relied on DEW for the anti-missile defences but the cost and technological challenges did not allow the program to come to fruition.

Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) was a weaponized laser developed in a joint project by Israel and the U.S.,  designed to shoot down aircraft and missiles but was discontinued in 2005 as a result of its bulkiness, high costs and poor anticipated results on the battlefield. Similar projects were undertaken by Boeing and Lockheed Martin as they developed High Energy Laser-Mobile Demonstrator (HEL-MD) and a  60 kW fibre laser respectively. The former had the peak-power level as 10 kW but after initial tests the programme seems to have been given up. The  Boeing program met with some resistance due to problems in making a compact system  as the test version was mounted in a truck the size of a shipping crate and was not found suitable for operational use.

Stryker Laser Weapon System

In May 2022, Raytheon announced that its laser weapon mounted on an armoured vehicle that shot down multiple mortar rounds over four weeks of tests. The tests were part of an Army program to develop new kinds of defences against flying projectiles and other threats and it also involved using a  laser system to defeat a range of drones.

Raytheon in collaboration with defence contractor KBR’s subsidiary Kordhad integrated an 50 kilowatt-class high-energy lase ron a Stryker combat vehicle. Strykers are eight-wheeled armoured transports, operated by a crew of two and with room for 9 troops to ride inside. The vehicle has been adapted  for a variety of roles, including as the base platform for an array of already existing anti-air weapons in what is called “Manoeuvre-Short Range Air Defence,” or M-SHORAD.

The existing version features a turret that can launch Stinger anti-air missiles and Hellfire missiles, in addition to a 30-mm cannon and a regular machine gun, as well as sensors to help find targets. Four laser-armed Strykers are planned to be supplied to US Army units later this year.

Russia has claimed to have destroyed at least one Ukrainian drone using Zadira during the ongoing conflict.

Iron Beam

Iron Beam is an Israeli system that made its debut in 2014, it is designed to destroy short-range rockets, artillery and other mortars that are too small for the Iron Dome to intercept effectively, thereby providing  an additional layer to Israel’s air defence layout.  The Iron Beam  uses a “directed high energy laser beam” to take out hostile targets with ranges up to 7 Km. It is planned to be upgraded to 100 kilowatts allowing the system to detect drones up to a maximum range of 20 Km.

While the Iron Beam will supplement Israel’s layered air defence system, it can also function as a stand-alone system. A major plus for the system is the low cost of each  interception i.e. only mere $2 per interception. This will also allow a large number of iron Beam systems to be deployed to take on barrage of hostile air attacks. 

Zadira

The ‘secret’ Russian new generation of powerful laser weapon deployed in Ukraine is claimed to have the capability to silently burn drone targets in the sky “within five seconds.” Though not much details are known about Zadira, it is reportedly mounted on an armoured truck and is one of the two laser weapons developed by Russian Federal Nuclear Center for research and development at Sarov, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Peresvet being the other system. According to claims made by Russia, the main difference between the two is that Peresvet “blinds” an enemy system, whereas Zadira destroys it. As per news reports, Russia has claimed to have destroyed at least one Ukrainian drone using Zadira during the ongoing conflict.

DRDO was in the process of developing and improving various laser-generation techniques using solid state, fibre and chemical lasers for defensive and offensive use…

Indian Laser Weapon Systems

With little details available, as usual, about India’s efforts in developing an indigenous laser weapon system, it is difficult to correctly assess India’s capabilities in this regard. One of the first reports in open media was an article by (then) Wing Commander K.K. Nair in the USI Journal Vol. CXXXVIII, Jan-mar 2008 wherein he mentioned that “Fantastic military space weaponry like Kinetic Attack Loitering Interceptor (KALI), Directionally Unrestricted Ray-Gun Array (DURGA) etc were envisaged with photo laser weapon testing to be completed by 2005.”

Defense News, an online defence journal, noted in 2021 that project DURGA II of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) aimed at providing the Indian Army with 100-kilowatt, lightweight directed-energy system though the DURGA II program was still in the concept stage. It added that DRDO was  in the process of developing and improving various laser-generation techniques using solid state, fibre and chemical lasers for defensive and offensive use. DURGA II will be integrated with land-, sea- and air-based platforms.

According to reports DRDO tested a 1KW laser weapon mounted on a truck at a test facility in Chitradurga in 2017. The Economic Times reported the laser hit a target 250m away during a test that was conducted in the presence of then defence minister Arun Jaitley. As per later reports, DRDO has so far made a 25 KW laser weapon that can target a ballistic missile during its terminal phase at a max distance of 5Km.The beam from laser source is coupled to the beam delivery system.

The focusing telescope is mounted on a gimbal which is agile enough to keep the beam focused on the same spot and works in closed loop with video tracking system. The system has been realised, integrated, and tested. While laser power of the order of 100 kW has been achieved, damage potential of the laser has been tested up to 800 m distance.

Specific to AD and Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) needs, the systems under development include AD dazzlers to take on enemy aircraft and helicopters at range of 10 km, 25-kilowatt laser systems to destroy missiles during their terminal phase at range of 5 to 7 km and 100-kilowatt solid-state laser systems, mounted on aircraft and ships, to destroy missiles in their boost phase itself .

Most of the systems, like Iron Beam, Stryker  and Zadira, are short range systems capable of engaging small targets only.

Assessing Suitability of Laser weapons in AD Role

Laser weapons are often touted as wonder weapons but the laser based weapon systems have drawbacks that restrict their suitability and use for AD.

The efficacy of a laser system depends on its power that allows it to burn through the given target. The greater the power of the beam, the faster it can burn through a given drone, or mortar round, or other object and more effective it becomes. The main challenge is getting enough power to produce a laser strong enough to burn through the target in the desired time frame. For this, fitting more power into a smaller, constrained shell is essential for creating a more useful laser. This is one of the prime challenges in creating an effective, and useful, laser system that can be used in the field.

Most of the systems, like Iron Beam, Stryker  and Zadira, are short range systems capable of engaging small targets only. The conventional aerial targets like aircraft are beyond the capability of these systems and this drawback seriously undermines the suitability of existing laser weapons for use in AD. The reasons for the same are elaborated below.

For long range detection and engagement, a laser weapon would need to precisely track targets from tens, if not hundreds, of kilometres away. One method to do so is to use passive tracking at longer ranges to detect the target, then switching to active tracking when the target is closer. The laser trackers have demonstrated anything close to an extended-range laser range-finding capability. Cloud cover, rain, or smoke can also prevent signal detection, which is why laser rangefinders fell out of favour in the 1980s.Moreover, many basic countermeasures can exploit the fragility of these kinds of sensors.

To disarm a laser rangefinder, an adversary could simply coat the surface of its missile in reflective or absorbent material, or just as easily deploy dust or shrapnel to disrupt the electro-optical sensors on a system like AN/DAS-4, the most advanced laser tracker used in prototype weapons.

Even for a manoeuvring aircraft, the laser may not be able to ‘hold’ the beam at one point long enough to achieve the desired effect.

Another major problem with laser technology is jitter—”the degree to which the spot of laser light jumps around on the surface of the target due to vibration or other movement.” To be effective, a laser must bore into a single spot for several seconds until the target is destroyed. Several systems, including Position Sensing Devices (PSD), Fibre Optic Gyros (FOG), Fast Steering Mirrors (FSM), and various filters can significantly reduce jitter, but only to the micron level that may not be enough to take on an aircraft or a ballistic missile.

This becomes more challenging if the adversaries exploits a laser’s reliance on one target point by designing their missiles to roll in flight, ensuring the laser does not have a static target. Even for a manoeuvring aircraft, the laser may not be able to ‘hold’ the beam at one point long enough to achieve the desired effect.

Atmospheric distortions caused by water vapor, sand, dust, salt, and pollution can all absorb or refract a laser’s energy, and thermal blooming is of particular concern in high-power laser weapons. These factor restrict the power borne on to the target.

Tactical considerations. Even if every technological barrier is successfully conquered, it is not certain if the laser weapons would be an effective form of air and missile defence. This is because lasers, unlike kinetic interceptors, face limitations that are tactically insurmountable no matter how advanced technology becomes:

•  Lasers can only focus on one target at a time. An adversary could simply launch a salvo attack to over-saturate laser defences,

•  Laser weapons can only destroy targets in their line of sight. This means most systems would be unable to target low-flying cruise missiles. Moreover, line-of-sight systems are restricted by the curvature of the earth and risk letting targets get away over the horizon—a limitation not faced by heat-seeking kinetic interceptors.

•  a laser can only stop a missile if it generates enough energy to cut into its electronics package. By adding a harder, thicker layer of outside shielding, adversaries can strengthen a missile’s “skin” and prevent it from being disabled,

Despite the many pitfalls of laser  weapons, it is unlikely that the chase for laser AD weapons will be given up.

•  The other challenge is developing a deployable system that can operate with field formations and units in tactical scenarios. Operating at static, rear areas may  be possible for a large, bulky system but for use in tactical battle area, the system needs to be highly mobile, survivable and powerful enough to different category of targets.

Despite the many pitfalls of laser  weapons, it is unlikely that the chase for laser AD weapons will be given up. The short range AD system are likely to be fielded in near future to counter rocket, artillery, mortar, or RAM threats, as well as unmanned aircraft systems but developing a truly capable laser based AD system will take years of effort and of that only one thing is certain: the road ahead will be difficult and costly.

Conclusion

For years the YAL-1 Airborne Laser was parked at US Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. The system was meant to fly above hostile territory to track and destroy intercontinental ballistic missiles in flight. But after 16 years and $5 billion, the program was cancelled simply because it did not work. The skeletal aircraft at Tucson had become a sad reminder of the futility of laser-based missile defence.

In 2014 it was unceremoniously destroyed as if the act would erase the memory of its failure. Eight years later, laser-based air and missile defences are back in vogue. Only time will tell how far the programmes go before they are operationalised or erased from memory as failures.

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The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Indian Defence Review.

About the Author

Col Mandeep Singh

An Air Defence Gunner, commanded the Regiment during Operation Parakaram and later along the LAC.

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