French Navy successfully tests a combat laser to destroy drones

July 24 2021 39

Planned use of laser from ships

The French Navy conducted ground tests of the new HELMA-P laser system, designed to combat drones. The system is intended for installation on ships of the French fleet.

At the moment, a prototype of a combat laser has been created. As stated in the command of the French Navy, tests carried out at the ground test range in low clouds and in rain conditions were successful. The next stage is conducting tests on a warship, scheduled for 2022.

The tests, which took place in the first decade of July, were personally supervised by Defense Minister Florence Parley. As a result of the ground experiment, she stated:

I am proud to see this excellent quality at work today. This is an exceptional experiment. The drone has just been destroyed by a powerful laser, an important step has just been taken in the fight against drones. Thanks to you, France has proved today that it will cope with the task and be able to defend itself from its enemies.

According to preliminary information, the new system will be tested on frigates. Finally, the HELMA-P is planned to be adopted by 2024.

The development of the HELMA-P combat laser has been carried out since 2017 by the French companies CILAS and the Ariane Group. The project is currently being completed by CILAS in cooperation with the Directorate General for Armaments (DGA) and the French Navy. A 2 kW laser can hit targets at a distance of 1 km.

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Doccor18

-1

24 July 2021 14: 24

A 2 kW laser can hit targets at a distance of 1 km.

1 km.?
UAV at a distance of 1 km. from the ship can destroy any AU ...
1. Alexander 3
  
  0
  
  24 July 2021 14: 42
  
  And if the drone is made of reflective materials? Will the laser be able to do anything with the drone? So I think drones can be counteracted by A.U.
2. knn54
  
  -2
  
  24 July 2021 14: 55
  
  21st century-century sawing the military budget with a "combat" laser.
  1. SovAr238A
    
    +3
    
    24 July 2021 21: 26
    
    Quote: knn54
    21st century-century sawing the military budget with a "combat" laser.
    
    Learn physics ..
    At the same time, study the power of modern generators ...
3. mvg
  
  -1
  
  24 July 2021 20: 14
  
  UAV at a distance of 1 km. from the ship can destroy any AU ...
  
  Especially A-192M .. A shot of the OFS is about $ 1.5-2 thousand and you can shoot. And there is little hope for the AK-630.
4. SovAr238A
  
  0
  
  24 July 2021 21: 24
  
  Quote: Doccor18
  A 2 kW laser can hit targets at a distance of 1 km.
  
  1 km.?
  UAV at a distance of 1 km. from the ship can destroy any AU ...
  
  2 kilowatts, this is the consumption of my water heater ...
  And if you consider the ability of modern ship turbines to produce tens of megawatts?
  How do you like this option for reflection?
  1. dub0vitsky
    
    -1
    
    25 July 2021 13: 05
    
    Quote: SovAr238A
    Quote: Doccor18
    A 2 kW laser can hit targets at a distance of 1 km.
    
    1 km.?
    UAV at a distance of 1 km. from the ship can destroy any AU ...
    
    2 kilowatts, this is the consumption of my water heater ...
    And if you consider the ability of modern ship turbines to produce tens of megawatts?
    How do you like this option for reflection?
    
    You are talking about different things. The generator for pumping the laser is one thing, and the laser radiation power is another. The efficiency of the laser is a unit of percent. A 2 kW laser beam is a tremendous power, considering that the size of the light spot is in millimeters at such a distance.
    1. SovAr238A
      
      -1
      
      25 July 2021 20: 38
      
      Quote: dub0vitsky
      Quote: SovAr238A
      Quote: Doccor18
      A 2 kW laser can hit targets at a distance of 1 km.
      
      1 km.?
      UAV at a distance of 1 km. from the ship can destroy any AU ...
      
      2 kilowatts, this is the consumption of my water heater ...
      And if you consider the ability of modern ship turbines to produce tens of megawatts?
      How do you like this option for reflection?
      
      You are talking about different things. The generator for pumping the laser is one thing, and the laser radiation power is another. The efficiency of the laser is a unit of percent. A 2 kW laser beam is a tremendous power, considering that the size of the light spot is in millimeters at such a distance.
      
      Do we know what the sources say?
      Consumption or transmission?
El Chuvachino

+2

24 July 2021 14: 25
Somehow not impressive. This is what I understand, laser:

76th year, just a minute
1. Ross xnumx
  
  0
  
  24 July 2021 15: 27
  
  Quote: El Chuvachino
  76th year, just a minute
  
  Yes, what is this "folk art"? Here's 1965 for 29 seconds:
2. Thrifty
  
  +1
  
  24 July 2021 16: 10
  
  El Chuvachino, that's how it was made in the USSR, in the glorious city of Voronezh ... alas, there is no trace of that country, unfortunately ...
  1. SovAr238A
    
    0
    
    24 July 2021 21: 28
    
    Quote: Thrifty
    El Chuvachino, that's how it was made in the USSR, in the glorious city of Voronezh ... alas, there is no trace of that country, unfortunately ...
    
    Well, the Kuibyshev branch of FIAN took part in combat lasers, which is much more important ...
    I even know personally several people from that era ...
Mountain shooter

+4

24 July 2021 14: 27

This is the right weapon against Drones. Small, slow. Which for some reason will approach a kilometer. And for him (the drone) it is enough to highlight the target, or simply transmit its coordinates, so that the rocket does not get lost in search of the target. The frigate can be seen very well from 5 km.
1. Rostislav
  
  +1
  
  25 July 2021 13: 39
  
  Range of the "small slow" drone? At what distance from the ship it is necessary to release it so that it is at least 5 km away. got it? For 30-40 km.? And the frigate won't notice the carrier?
  And how will the drone know which way to fly? And if the drone carrier knows the coordinates of the ship, otherwise he would not have found it in the ocean, then why release the drone and why approach a distance when it is found?
  The logic behind using such a laser on land is clear. On the ship, it is doubtful.
  1. Mountain shooter
    
    -1
    
    25 July 2021 13: 46
    
    Quote: Rostislav
    And how will the drone know which way to fly? And if the drone carrier knows the coordinates of the ship, otherwise he would not have found it in the ocean, then why release the drone and why approach a distance when it is found?
    
    And the drone does not know where to fly. He goes up to reconnaissance, and surveys the surroundings. And he is not alone. They fly in all directions, blocking the area. Having noticed the target, the coordinates are reported. And this is where their functions end. They can also accompany the target within the line of sight. Until it is covered with a volley of anti-ship missiles ...
KCA

0

24 July 2021 14: 29

The laser for the destruction of something is "Peresvet", with a generator and a package of supercapacitors the size of a railway carriage, the rest is self-indulgence and extortion, somehow, physics cannot be fooled
1. Alexander 3
  
  -1
  
  24 July 2021 14: 45
  
  Now, let NATO continue to rivet such weapons.
2. Yamamoto
  
  +1
  
  24 July 2021 17: 23
  
  Well, once upon a time, computers with a railway carriage could not deceive physics.
  1. KCA
    
    +1
    
    24 July 2021 18: 01
    
    Something you are confusing, how has physics changed in the construction of computers from the 40s to the present? Electrons began to run faster? Is there any progress? Yes, lasers became not optical, but fiber-optic, capacitors were replaced with supercapacitors, but if you don't dance, you can't bring enough pulse power at least under a megawatt in your pocket, and 1 kW, 10, this is a guano on a stick, however, for some with bow
    1. Yamamoto
      
      0
      
      24 July 2021 20: 40
      
      Well, what am I talking about) Reducing the size of a chip from a carriage to the size of a DNA molecule (5 nanometers) did not require a change in physics, there electrons became different or something like that, but technologies, semiconductors, the very principle of the device changed. Science and technology are developing nonlinearly.
3. SovAr238A
  
  +2
  
  24 July 2021 21: 35
  
  Quote: KCA
  The laser for the destruction of something is "Peresvet", with a generator and a package of supercapacitors the size of a railway carriage, the rest is self-indulgence and extortion, somehow, physics cannot be fooled
  
  Don't remember nonsense, she's in pain ...
  Peresvet is a system for dazzling visual control satellites.
  One single copy has been at one of the bases of the PGRK in Teikovo for 5 years.
  A very strange base.
  He may be covering one of the bases.
  And what to do with the other 45 bases?
  
  Due to the fact that Peresvets are no longer produced, its real effectiveness is understandable.
  Just zero !!!!
  This must be understood and accepted ..
  The military-industrial complex once again had both the army and the president ..
Split

+2

24 July 2021 14: 35

Well, what to take from a woman, shone a torch, self-destruction ... give me some money! In order to destroy ... it has long been known that hundreds of kilowatts of power are needed! The problem with the laser is its low range, the beam will be defocused, I don’t believe that 2kV can evaporate rain drops, etc. What does the low cloudiness have to do with it ... or did the drone fly there for at least 5 km? Again successful tests on a spherical horse in vacuum under sterile conditions
Ross xnumx

-1

24 July 2021 14: 37

Sorry, but:
As stated in the command of the French Navy, tests carried out at the ground test site in low cloud and rain conditions proved to be successful.

Either they are lying, as always, or I have something with vision, or the drones flew below "low clouds", or the rain was "blind" ...
abrakadabre

+1

24 July 2021 14: 38

A distance of 1 km - about nothing? Shoot down selfie drones only.
Ros 56

-2

24 July 2021 14: 45

The thing is good, of course, at 8 swings the rocket will cover this 1 km in about 0,368 seconds. Will they have time to aim?
1. Yamamoto
  
  0
  
  24 July 2021 17: 26
  
  Ahahah))) Yes, it's not rockets that shoot down with lasers, pardon me, but slow drones
  1. Ros 56
    
    -1
    
    24 July 2021 20: 06
    
    Drones, in the sea-okiyane, I wonder how, Komuto Kherovato.
askort154

-2

24 July 2021 15: 15

The tests, which took place in the first decade of July, were personally supervised by Defense Minister Florence Parley.

Already in 13 countries, defense ministers are women. Where is the world heading ?!
1. Yamamoto
  
  +1
  
  24 July 2021 17: 26
  
  What's the problem?
Alena Larina

+5

24 July 2021 15: 56

The laser power should not be misleading, since the main technological problem is focused on the ability to focus the light beam, the greater the scattering, the greater the energy loss.
At the moment, this is the first officially declared successful experiment of such technologies at a distance of 1 km. Before that, everything was limited to 200-300 m.
Therefore, from the point of view of humanity, we are gradually entering the era of the use of combat lasers
sen

+1

24 July 2021 16: 37

A 2 kW laser can hit targets at a distance of 1 km.

It is a weapon against the drone swarm.
apricot

-1

24 July 2021 19: 37

Exactly, we have spied "Peresvet" copy ...
I'm not an expert at killing drones, but as an engineer, I think that laser power is used mainly to blind the drone and (if you're lucky) damage the e-mail. fillings.
Rather, it's not for shock drones ...
tTshka

-2

25 July 2021 05: 16

It looks like a financial and food pyramid - "nedalovo"
Nikolay2

+1

25 July 2021 12: 43

You read the comments and you understand - every second Russian would have done better than these Guardians. And they see the prospect much better than anyone else in the world.
And in a strange way they do not understand - from small to large, from simple to complex.
dub0vitsky

-1

25 July 2021 13: 13

Quote: Yamamoto
Well, what am I talking about) Reducing the size of a chip from a carriage to the size of a DNA molecule (5 nanometers) did not require a change in physics, there electrons became different or something like that, but technologies, semiconductors, the very principle of the device changed. Science and technology are developing nonlinearly.

That's right, nonlinear. First, quickly, at the end with zero speed. But, if there is no way to add millions of pulses into one, then no fiber lasers capable of burning a real piece of iron in milliseconds can exist. Both in our time and in the future. By virtue of the wave theory of light.
dub0vitsky

0

25 July 2021 13: 28

Quote: apricot
Exactly, we have spied "Peresvet" copy ...
I'm not an expert at killing drones, but as an engineer, I think that laser power is used mainly to blind the drone and (if you're lucky) damage the e-mail. fillings.
Rather, it's not for shock drones ...

.... "Technical reasons (according to the source - Zarubin PV" Academician Basov ... ") consisted in the fact that at a micron wavelength of laser radiation it was practically impossible to focus the beam onto a relatively small area. if the target is at a distance of more than 100 km, then the natural angular divergence of optical laser radiation in the atmosphere as a result of scattering is 0,0001 degrees. Tomsk, which was headed by Academician VE Zuev From this it followed that the laser radiation spot at a distance of 100 km would have a diameter of at least 20 meters, and the energy density over an area of 1 cm2 with a total laser source energy of 1 MJ would be less 0,1 J / cm2. This is too little - in order to hit the rocket (to create a hole in it of 1 cm2, depressurizing it), more than 1 kJ / cm2 is required .... "Recalculate the action of the beam (p descent) easily at any distance. For example, 1 km. The beam propagates in a straight line, from here, the laser light spot at a distance of 1 km will become equal to 0,2 m. Hence the question - can it burn through structures leading to an accident?
Rostislav

-1

25 July 2021 13: 29

Which drone was destroyed? Bought on Aliexpress or carrying weapons that could threaten a frigate?
If the latter, then he does not need to approach the ship at a distance of 1 km.
And everything else that needs to get close to the ship is not dangerous for it.
dub0vitsky

0

25 July 2021 20: 44

Quote: SovAr238A
Do we know what the sources say?
Consumption or transmission?

Yes, it seems in all matters, they evaluate not as much as they GIVE, but as much as they receive. So, of course, it talks about the radiation power.
dub0vitsky

0

25 July 2021 20: 51

Quote: Intruder
Exactly, we have spied "Peresvet" copy ...
Only the "Peresvet" complex has a slightly different type of laser and a different power ... well, this is so, for example (and the range ...)!

This device is used to blind the matrices of percussion elements - weapons, the drone itself. And yet - backlight for passive percussion glands, guided by video. In order to eliminate interference when hovering. It is enough to defocus the beam. and it will cover a wide area.