China is visibly working on the further development of laser weapons for air defence. New footage shows the so-called Light Arrow system, which can bring down drones and possibly also missiles. With it, the country is firmly positioning itself in the global race for operational laser weapons.
The footage shows a military vehicle with an integrated laser system on open ground. According to available information, there are two variants: the Light Arrow 21A and the Light Arrow 11E. These systems complement each other within a layered air defence concept.
The Light Arrow 21A is intended as a so-called hard-kill system, meaning the target is physically destroyed. With a powerful laser beam, the system can literally burn drones, and possibly incoming rockets or mortar rounds, out of the sky. Systems like this focus mainly on fast and direct elimination of threats.
The Light Arrow 11E works differently. It is a soft-kill system aimed at disrupting sensors. Instead of destroying a target completely, the laser damages the optical systems of drones, for example. They then lose their vision and ability to navigate, effectively making them useless.
Combining hard kill and soft kill
The combination of both systems is strategically interesting. While the 21A ensures direct destruction of incoming threats, the 11E can take out weaker or less critical targets in a more energy-efficient way. That makes the whole more flexible and efficient, especially in scenarios where large numbers of drones are used at once.
For the Chinese armed forces, this adds an extra layer to air defence, alongside traditional systems such as surface-to-air missiles and rapid-fire guns. Lasers offer advantages especially against drone swarms, which are increasingly used in modern conflicts. In theory they have an almost unlimited supply of ammunition, as long as enough energy is available.
Laser weapons are being developed worldwide
China is not alone in this. Countries around the world are investing heavily in laser technology for military use. The United States has been testing lasers on navy ships for years, mainly aimed at disabling drones and small boats. Israel is also at the forefront and was the first country to deploy an operational laser system in a conflict environment.
Israel uses its laser system as a supplement to existing air defence, particularly to neutralise cheap threats such as rockets and drones cost-effectively. That is an important advantage of lasers: the cost per shot is considerably lower than for traditional missiles.
China now appears to be taking a similar path by developing and testing different laser concepts in parallel. The footage suggests the country already has a fairly mature system that can be deployed on the move, mounted on military trucks.
Technical and operational challenges
There are still limitations, though. Laser weapons depend heavily on weather conditions. Rain, fog or dust can reduce their effectiveness considerably. Range and the required power supply also remain important issues.
It is also still unclear how effective these systems are against heavier or faster targets, such as ballistic missiles or advanced cruise missiles. The current generation appears to be aimed mainly at drones and lighter threats.
The Netherlands and European developments
Laser weapons are also being developed in Europe. The Netherlands, for example, has signed a contract with defence company EOS for the development of a so-called Apollo laser system. In the future, this system should be usable against drones, among other things, similar to the applications seen in China and other countries.
Although these systems are still very much in development, it shows that European countries also recognise the importance of this technology. The rise of cheap drones on the battlefield is accelerating this development.
A new phase in air defence
The footage of the Chinese Light Arrow system shows that laser weapons are no longer a distant prospect but are getting ever closer to operational use. By combining hard kill and soft kill, China is building a versatile defence against modern aerial threats.
The coming years will determine how effective these systems actually prove in realistic conditions. What is already clear: lasers are becoming an increasingly important part of air defence worldwide.
