Laser weapons are no longer science fiction, although a lot of problems remain with their implementation. The weakest point of laser weapons remains their power plants, the energy of which is not enough to defeat massive targets. But you can start with less? For example, using a laser to hit light and nimble enemy drones, which is expensive and unsafe if conventional anti-aircraft missiles are used for these purposes. A laser pulse shot will not cause damage to foreign targets that would accompany a conventional explosion; it will be extremely accurate and fast at the level of the speed of light propagation in the air.
According to the Internet resource , the German military plans to receive standard laser weapons for the K130 project missile corvettes (. These are ships with a displacement of 18 tons and a length of 400 meters with a crew of 90 people. The corvettes are armed with anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, two torpedo tubes, two 65 mm remotely controlled anti-aircraft guns and one 27 mm cannon. A laser installation or several installations can complement the weapons of a warship with a range of 76 nautical miles.
However, the technical specifications for the laser installation for corvettes have not yet been made public. Two companies are undertaking to develop a prototype, create it and conduct field tests: Rheinmetall and MBDA Deutschland. According to the resource, the project will become the starting point for Germany for the introduction of laser weapons into the army for all areas of application: at sea, in the air and on land. Today, the German Navy operates five Braunschweig-class corvettes. Five more will be built and introduced into the fleet by 2025. The first ship of the second series was laid down in the spring of this year.
Source: 3dnews.ru