The Type 071 amphibious transport dock is currently the second-largest amphibious transport dock in the world, only behind the U.S. “San Antonio” class. During the construction of the Type 071 ship, its forward deck’s B turret position remained vacant. For a long time, most people believed this space was reserved for the HQ-7 or HQ-10 point-defense missiles. However, the Type 071 amphibious transport dock “Si Mingshan” has demonstrated that this space was actually reserved for a laser cannon!
The term “laser cannon” always sounds like something out of science fiction. My first encounter with the concept of a “laser cannon” was in the 1990s when I watched the movie “Star Wars” and discovered the existence of such a powerful weapon. Now, to see that a “laser cannon” has actually been successfully installed on a warship is truly astonishing, highlighting not only the rapid advancement of human technology but, more impressively, the even faster technological progress of China.
Undoubtedly, the United States, as the world’s dominant power, was the first to research and use laser weapons. As early as the 1980s during the Cold War, the U.S. initiated the development of the ABL Airborne Laser, a large-scale laser weapon capable of effectively intercepting strategic missiles. This weapon was mounted on a specially modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet, with the ABL’s emitter installed on the aircraft’s nose, resembling a 360° rotating camera. The ABL system was officially installed in 1998, and missile interception tests were conducted in 2002. Test results showed that the ABL system could effectively intercept ballistic missiles at a range of 500 kilometers. Moreover, due to the laser’s high speed, the ABL system didn’t even need to calculate lead times when intercepting targets, making it a true “point-and-shoot” weapon. However, due to the high cost of the ABL system and its limited practicality—only five shots per flight—the project was shelved after 2010.
During the development of the ABL system, the U.S. discovered the immense energy consumption of laser weapons. Consequently, they shifted their focus towards developing high-power, land-based laser weapons. In recent years, motivated by the need to intercept anti-ship missiles and small drones, the U.S. began installing laser weapons on warships. Currently, the U.S. has tested various laser weapons on the “Arleigh Burke” class destroyer “Preble” and the “San Antonio” class transport dock “Portland.”
Although the U.S. was the first to research laser weapons, China’s military is now rapidly catching up. Recently, the mainstream American military website “War Zone” released a photo and an article stating that China’s Type 071 amphibious transport dock “Si Mingshan” has installed a large laser weapon at its B turret position. The article speculates that the weapon installed by China is likely comparable to the LWSD installed on the U.S. “Portland” and is a high-power laser cannon in the 150KW class, intended for intercepting sea-skimming anti-ship missiles and drones.
In a sense, China’s choice to install large laser weapons on the 25,000-ton Type 071 amphibious transport dock is part of “crossing the river by feeling the eagle’s claws.” Initially, the U.S. tested its laser weapons on the “Preble” destroyer, but due to the destroyer’s tonnage and engine power limitations, the “Preble’s” laser cannon had an output power of only 60KW. With such low power, the laser cannon could only disrupt the optical targeting systems of incoming missiles or destroy small drones at very close range, without the capability to effectively destroy incoming anti-ship missiles. Consequently, the U.S. LWSD was installed on the much larger “San Antonio” class amphibious transport dock, which allowed the U.S. to use the spacious vehicle bay to house large power generation equipment, boosting the LWSD’s maximum power to 150KW, enabling it to effectively intercept anti-ship missiles.
According to the latest reports, the most advanced multi-mode continuous fiber lasers now have a photoelectric conversion efficiency of over 35%. Even conservatively estimating China’s efficiency at 30%, achieving a 150KW laser output would require a generator with at least 500KW output. Therefore, large amphibious warships are the only suitable platforms for such installations, as smaller destroyers simply can’t handle the “power-hungry” laser cannons. As a latecomer, China observed the U.S. transition from destroyers to amphibious ships and thus skipped the destroyer stage, directly installing and testing its new laser weapons on amphibious transport docks.
Currently, compared to the U.S., China has a significant advantage in laser weapon technology: China’s supercapacitor technology, which the U.S. has not yet mastered. Based on the 150KW output of the U.S. LWSD laser cannon, it requires a power generation system with at least 500KW output. Using conventional energy storage technology, the energy storage system alone would weigh several tons, plus the necessary generators, transformers, and other support systems. Only large amphibious ships have the capacity to accommodate this. However, due to China’s breakthrough in supercapacitor technology, even with a power output of 1500KW, China’s energy storage system weighs only about 40 kilograms! From this perspective, the laser weapon on the “Si Mingshan” ship likely has a much higher output than the U.S.’s 150KW. If calculated based on 1500KW of electrical power, China’s laser cannon could achieve an output of 450KW, three times that of the U.S. LWSD laser cannon!
In conclusion, laser weapons are undoubtedly one of the key directions for future development. With their speed and precision, laser weapons could theoretically replace the current Gatling rapid-fire cannons, handling terminal missile defense and anti-drone operations on warships. Additionally, laser weapons have excellent sustained firing capabilities, without the risk of jamming or barrel explosions due to overheating, making them far more efficient than Gatling cannons. The appearance of laser cannons on the Type 071 amphibious transport dock marks yet another instance of China surpassing the U.S. in military technology.