The Chinese Navy has equipped one of its amphibious ships with a laser weapon. This is the first known case of the installation of such a system on a Chinese amphibious ship.
The photo that appeared on social networks shows the laser installation under the dome-shaped movable coating on the type 071 ship. It is located behind the 76 mm gun in the bow part of the ship. Experts believe that this laser system is designed to combat drones, satellite networks and other advanced attack or surveillance technologies. Exact weapon specifications and the name of the specific ship have not been disclosed.
Type 071 amphibious ships of 25 000 tons have a flight deck, a hangar and can carry up to 4 transport helicopters and 60 armored vehicles. Laser weapons are considered a promising direction of military technology development. It has a number of advantages over traditional weapons systems — power, economy, and virtually unlimited ammunition if there is an energy source.
China is actively developing laser weapons systems for use in the air, on land, and at sea. Earlier it was reported about plans to equip destroyers of the People's Republic of China with laser weapons for air defense.