[ad_1]
Chengdu Hengan Police Equipment Manufacturing Company
China has developed a new portable laser weapon capable of zapping a target at nearly one kilometer, according to researchers involved in the project.
The ZKZM-500 laser assault rifle is categorized as "non-lethal" but produces a beam of energy invisible to the naked eye but able to pass through windows and cause "instant carbonization" skin and human tissue.
Ten years ago, his abilities would have been the prerogative of sci-fi movies, but a laser weapons scientist said the new device is capable of "burning clothes in a split second. .. be set on fire ". According to the researcher who participated in the development and field trial of a prototype at the Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics of Xian of the & & Selon Selon Selon prototype prototype prototype prototype prototype prototype prototype prototype prototype prototype prototype prototype. Chinese Academy of Science of Shaanxi Province, "the pain will be beyond the stamina".
The 15mm caliber weapon weighs three kilos (6.6 lbs), pretty much like an AK-47, and has a range of 800 meters, and can be mounted on cars, boats and planes.
US Navy
He is now ready for mass production and the first units are likely to be entrusted to anti-terrorist squadrons of the Chinese armed police.
In the case of a hostage situation, it could be used to shoot through windows on targets and temporarily disable the kidnappers while other units move to save their captives.
It could also be used in secret military operations. The beam is powerful enough to burn a gas tank and ignite the fuel storage facility at a military airport.
Because the laser has been set to an invisible frequency and that it produces absolutely no sound, "no one will know where the attack comes from, it will look like an accident", has says another researcher. The scientists asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the project.
The rifles will be powered by a rechargeable lithium battery similar to that found in smartphones. He can shoot more than 1000 "shots", each one lasting no more than two seconds.
The prototype was built by ZKZM Laser, a technology company owned by the Xian Institute. A company representative confirmed that the company is now seeking a partner with an arms production license or a partner in the security or defense industry to start a production large scale of a unit cost of 100,000 yuan ($ 15,000).
Given their potential for misuse, the design and production of devices will be closely monitored and the only customers will be the Chinese army and police.
A technical document containing Basic Information on Weapon was published last month on the Civil Service Platform for the National Civil and Military Integration, a website managed by the central government to facilitate collaboration between the military and commercial sectors.
Chengdu Hengan Police Equipment Manufacturing Company, a leading hardware supplier for Chinese law enforcement agencies, also released a "machine gun" laser last month.
The weapon has a range of 500 meters and can fire several hundred shots per charge, according to the product brochure of the company
A decade ago , these powerful laser weapons were no longer science fiction. In 2009, an American attempt to design a portable laser gun resulted in something that "only works on nudists" because its beam was too weak to even penetrate a shirt.
But in 2015, Beijing increased its investment by two billion yuan to develop compact and powerful laser devices – an unprecedented budget for the industry that has raised concerns in the United States and in the United States. other western countries.
In recent years, US forces operating in strategically important areas such as the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea have complained of having been the target of a growing number of people. laser attacks of Chinese military bases or fishing boats.
Xinhua
Last month, the US government filed an official complaint that a "military grade" laser fired from a Chinese naval base in Djibouti left two wounded military pilots . Wang Zhimin, associate researcher at the Center for Research in Physics and Laser Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, said the technological improvements of recent years have allowed scientists to develop smaller and more powerful devices. the same way as mobile phones. the manufacturers had done.
"This is no longer science fiction, they are already part of life," he said.
In the early days, due to technical limitations, it was necessary to fire multiple beams and converge them to a target to cause damage. They also needed an accurate reading of the distance to have a chance to work.
Moreover, the only devices available were slow, cumbersome and heavy, had a short range and required enormous amounts of energy.
But the latest devices fire a single beam and can cause as much damage as the big truck-mounted laser guns would have done.
But these developments increase the risk that weapons will fall more easily into the hands of criminals and terrorists who could exploit their destructive capacity, for example by conducting incendiary attacks undetected.
Wang, who was not involved in the Xian project, warned that allowing the proliferation of these weapons could pose a threat to all countries.
Guang Niu / Pool / Getty Images
There is no specific international protocol to regulate the development or use of this type of laser weapon.
The United Nations Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons, initiated in 1980 and signed by more than 100 nations, focuses on the weapons of the previous generation and prohibits the use of those that could cause permanent loss of sight.
The document on the Chinese government's website classifies the ZKZM-500 as a "non-lethal weapon", meaning that they are considered less likely to kill a living target than something explicitly designed to do so, like a gun.
Lasers can not kill a target with a single shot, but if they were shot at a person for long enough, the weapons would start to burn themselves a hole in the body, cutting them off like a surgical knife .
The researchers point out that scientists in this field are generally of the opinion that it would be inhumane to use more powerful weapons that could "carbonize" a living person.
Instead, the paper focuses on non-lethal applications of technology.
For example, he says law enforcement could counter "illegal protests" by firing banners from afar.
He also says that the protest leaders could be targeted by setting fire to their clothes or their hair, which, according to the document, would mean that they would lose "the rhythms of their speech and their powers. of persuasion ".
But a Beijing police officer stated that he preferred to stick to more traditional methods of crowd control, such as tear gas, rubber bullets or electric stun guns, such as tasers.
"The laser burn will leave a permanent scar," he said. He said it would be a "horrible sight" that could cause panic or turn a peaceful protest into a riot.
Source link
