Japan is now among the five countries known to be building a directed‑energy weapon. (Image credit: Japan Ministry of Defense/Wikimedia Commons)ShareShare by:
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Japan has put in place a system that launches laser beams possessing 100 kilowatts of power — sufficiently potent to immobilize compact drones. It has been equipped on a 6,200-ton (6.3 million kg) naval vessel.
The armament integrates 10 lasers (each with a 10 kW potency) into one 100 kW beam, providing it with enough concentrated force to cut through metallic surfaces. It functions as a fiber laser, indicating that the beam is produced by light being intensified and focused as it goes through a solid-state optical fiber infused with rare earth substances. This system was designed by engineers with the express purpose of obliterating drones, mortar projectiles, and other low-mass aerial dangers.
On December 2, Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) verified via a statement that the laser mechanism was incorporated onto the JS Asuka evaluation vessel following its arrival at one of Japan Marine United’s dockyards. It appeared to be enclosed within a pair of 40-foot (12-meter) rounded modules.
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A progression in laser armaments
ATLA’s subsequent objective involves undertaking prosperous sea trials, whereby the laser will encounter tougher states such as wind and humidity. It needs to uphold its aim steadily atop a heaving deck while accounting for atmospheric scattering alongside reflections.
Nevertheless, further obstacles exist for laser armaments similar to Japan’s to surpass before they are fit for the battlefield. Directed‑energy systems — those which inflict damage on targets by means of intensely concentrated energy in lieu of a hard projectile — frequently demand extensive periods to recharge between launches and necessitate substantial cooling and electrical input. Even under optimal circumstances, fiber lasers usually attain merely approximately 25% to 35% efficiency, and their energy prerequisites are particularly difficult to reconcile on a vessel.
According to The Asia Live, ATLA authorities expressed that operational implementation still remains several years away, though this sequence of trials will assist them in evaluating if an even more robust laser can be utilized to intercept missiles down the line.
Japan currently enlists with the U.S., France, Germany, as well as the U.K. on the directory of nations affirmed to be evolving a directed‑energy weapon. China is also presumed to be among them, subsequent to a photograph surfacing across social media portraying what seemed to be a laser atop a Chinese amphibious transport dock in 2024.
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Regardless, the sole openly planned deployment of a sea-based laser mechanism is on vessels outfitted with “Aegis” — an advanced naval defense infrastructure commissioned by Japan’s Ministry of Defense, as per Naval News. These are anticipated to be commissioned post-2032.
Roughly two years prior, the U.K. government broadcasted that its system, known as “DragonFire,” had cleared its inaugural field evaluation via downing several drones over the Hebrides offshore from Scotland. Furthermore, near the end of 2024, Chinese researchers asserted to have conceived a fresh variety of microwave armament able to focus powerful electromagnetic waves onto a target.
Fiona Jackson
Fiona Jackson is a freelance author and editor primarily concentrating on science and technological advancements. She has filled the role of a reporter within the science segment at MailOnline, while also reporting on enterprise tech stories intended for TechRepublic, eWEEK, and TechHQ.
Fiona launched her career authoring relatable narratives intended for global news sources across the SWNS press organization. She holds a Master’s degree relating to Chemistry, alongside an NCTJ Diploma as well as a cocker spaniel referred to as Sully, with whom she lives alongside across Bristol, UK.
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