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China Technology

Chinese Scientists Have Developed the World's First Destructive Laser Rifle (popsci.com) 252

PopularScience: Chinese scientists have developed the world's first destructive, man-portable laser weapon. However, there is more to the story of this cool looking, but "less than lethal" directed energy device. The laser rifle is the ZKZM-500, developed by Xian Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics in Xian, Shaanxi. It's manufactured by the Institute's subsidiary, ZKZM Laser. Weighing at 6 pounds (about the weight of a typical assault rifle), the ZKZM-500 has a range of 2,600 feet. The ZKZM-500 uses a lithium battery with enough power for 1000 two second shots (keep in mind, those 1000 shots may not be at full power). According to Institute designers, its laser is powerful enough to instantly scar human skin and tissue. It can also ignite clothing, knock a small drone out of the sky, or even ignite a fuel tank. That would place its power output around 100-500 watts (most surgical lasers top out at 100 watts).
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Chinese Scientists Have Developed the World's First Destructive Laser Rifle

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  • when they get up to the 40 watt phased plasma rifles.
  • "enough to instantly scar human skin and tissue" very effective against "model armies" - if you know what I mean ;)

  • Video (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @04:54AM (#56927394)

    The original video since the Popsci article doesn't care to provide a link:

    https://www.scmp.com/video/offbeat/2153779/chinese-star-wars-laser-weapon-appears-set-fire-objects-distance

    • Re:Video (Score:4, Insightful)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @07:13AM (#56927774) Homepage Journal

      Dunno why they are likening it to Star Wars, they were clearly using some kind of plasma weapons in that movie. Lasers produce a beam that travels at the speed of light, but the Star Wars they shoot short burst of relatively slow moving plasma.

    • A video of people on a rooftop allegedly setting stuff on fire with a laser proves precisely nothing. Even if a laser is being used, there's zero indication that it is the handheld device that's emitting it.

    • Hmm. That rifle is being held awfully steady to put the pinpoint of light on something long enough for it to burn through. Either that rifleman has an exceptionally steady hand or there is some very cool steadying technology being used to keep the beam in one location once initially set.

      Or it's all a hoax/fabrication. Occams' Razor and all that.

  • by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @05:42AM (#56927484)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • If the US were to steal the designs and market them to the rest of the world?

      It would be hilarious if anyone thought that a device like this made any sense. Laser weapons do make sense, but only on vehicles, and primarily for point defense.

    • It would be, only this is total vaporware. They're stooping to the level of North Korean propagandist claims here (although lately NK began to deliver on some of their claims).
      In short, the physics don't check out, not even close.
      Next week: China solves the cold fusion problem.

  • by blind biker ( 1066130 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @06:10AM (#56927562) Journal

    There is no independent confirmation of the existence of this rifle. Absolutely none.

  • by huffybadger ( 910671 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @06:45AM (#56927664)

    Perhaps we are all missing the true end use for these lasers.
    Maybe their intended use is to blind night vision devices and infrared cameras.

    I read that the Chinese were using lasers to prevent pilots from getting near their bases and the island that they built in the South China Sea.

    Perhaps this is an extension of that use.

    • by daten ( 575013 )
      FTA: "The ZKZM-500 has plenty of Chinese predecessors in directed energy weapons. Chinese police and soldiers have long been equipped with 'dazzler' laser rifles. These include PY132A, WGJ-2002 and BBQ-905, which are designed to target the optical imagers and sensors on enemy vehicles, aircraft and drones (since China's signed the United Nations Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons, which bans the use of laser weapons that cause permanent damage to human eyes)."
    • by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      The Falklands war had some reports of that too. Low-flying Argentinian pilots on the correct approach path at the correct speed in suddenly failed mid flight.
    • by hey! ( 33014 )

      The supposed use will be as a less-than-lethal weapon for applications like crowd control.

  • They hooked up one of these to a laptop battery and some capacitors, with a switch as a trigger:

    https://www.alibaba.com/produc... [alibaba.com]

  • by guruevi ( 827432 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @07:56AM (#56927960)

    - The laser module - sure it exists but it is going to be big and need water cooling if it's going to be of any use
    - The weight - the module itself for a 500W laser comes in ~5kg. Even if they somehow got the module to fit in the 6kg they claim it weighs, the batteries and watercooling will pack on an additional 6-10kg.
    - The power requirements ~0.3 kWh (not accounting for losses from water cooling and other gear), that requires a small motorcycle battery, even if made from Lithium, not something you easily carry around in a 6kg package.

    • - The weight - the module itself for a 500W laser comes in ~5kg. Even if they somehow got the module to fit in the 6kg they claim it weighs, the batteries and watercooling will pack on an additional 6-10kg.

      The summary and article both claim 6 lbs, not kg, making it an even more unlikely claim.

    • by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      Whats the thinking with say a mil truck on site? Power from a mil truck of the dimensions and weight a truck could bring to support the power needs per device? A power cord from the truck to the laser system? Any size power supply that is within the wight and road/rail dimensions of a normal modern mil truck.
      The truck brings power to a number of troops with their laser packs?
    • Further support for the debunking of this 'weapon.'
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

  • Although China has signed the UN convention on not producing weapons "intended to blind", I'm guessing that means "as their primary function", since all bigger lasers (included ones fielded by the USA) can burn through solids, so can sure toast your retina in a heartbeat.

    These smaller "rifles" would be useless against a well-equipped conventional military force; while you're trying to burn them somewhere (at a 100 yards) they've already shot your balls off at 150...

  • A lot of the disadvantages of these go away if there is no air in the way. Could this be a reaction to the "Space Force" announcements?

    I'm just thinking the space battle in Moonraker... If all you need to do is to poke a small hole in someones suit...

  • With an energy rating of 100-500w, the direct hit isn't the only hazard. I used to be a laser safety officer at my employer and a laser of that energy level is a class IV laser, whose beam is hazardous in close proximity. Even if you're not in the direct path, the radiation emitted by a laser beam of that power is hazardous.

    Fire that puppy 1000 times and you've absorbed enough radiation that is unhealthy.
    • Fire that puppy 1000 times and you've absorbed enough radiation that is unhealthy.

      Not a problem for the AV or drone (or shark) it will be mounted on

    • absorbed enough radiation that is unhealthy.
      A laser does not produce any radiation, except the laser beam.

      For radiation you would need extremely odd lasers like a nuke induced gamma laser, or a free electron laser with stray X-Rays.

      And to know that: you don't need to be a "laser safety officer".

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

    Try 5 years ago Americans already had one made and operational.

    China did not make the worlds first destructive laser rifle. Not even fucking close.

  • by Zorro ( 15797 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @10:19AM (#56929110)

    You can have my Laser Rifle when you can pry it from my cold dead hands!

  • And it uses a perpetual motion machine to power it!
  • by foxalopex ( 522681 ) on Wednesday July 11, 2018 @01:09PM (#56930384)

    The US have heavily tested laser weapons already and for the most part they aren't practical compared to conventional weapons in most cases. This is one of those cool Sci-Fi ideas that doesn't pan out. The problem is most lasers aren't very efficient and the ones that are (chemical lasers) use stuff so nasty they'd be deadly to the soldier carrying it if it burst or broke. Not to mention rain or dust or hazy day would reduce its effectiveness. It's probably a concept weapon that can give you a burn or blind but compare that to oh getting hit by a 50 cal round which would blow parts off you. It's likely a test concept weapon for experimenting but I highly doubt it'll ever come into widespread use.

  • I'll take one in the 40 watt range
  • I'm so sick of that site, for over 5 years they've done Geo IP redirection, ensuring if I click their links, I'll be just redirected to the front page of their Aussie web site.

    It's some antique internet rubbish. I've even emailed them, it's moronic.

    Can I put a hit out on their site here? Can someone please take them out?

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