Advertisement
Laser weapon spotted on Chinese navy ship as PLA and US race to develop drone defences
- Photos indicate the directed-energy weapon has been installed on Type 071 amphibious vessel
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
13

China has installed what appears to be a laser directed-energy weapon on an amphibious ship, according to social media posts, as the People’s Liberation Army and rivals such as the US race to develop weapons that can thwart drones, satellite networks and other hi-tech systems.
Defence news site The War Zone reported that images circulating on social media site X, formerly Twitter, since Monday suggested that a laser had been installed on one of the Chinese navy’s Type 071 amphibious transport dock ships.
The laser weapon, which features a movable dome-like cover and is positioned behind the vessel’s 76mm dual-purpose gun, was spotted following a refit of the ship.
However, the laser weapon’s capabilities as well as the precise vessel and its location were not discernible from the photo, although the censored image suggested the ship might be a Type 071 with a hull number starting with “98”.
The world’s major militaries are working to develop laser-powered weapons to counter the increasing use of drones in modern warfare.
While the PLA has other laser weapons in operation, the Type 071 is reportedly the first of China’s amphibious naval ships to be outfitted with such a system, acting as a test system before the weapons are deployed on other vessels.
First commissioned in 2007, the Type 071 was the PLA’s largest operational amphibious ship before the arrival of the Type 075 in 2021.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2-3x faster
1.1x
220 WPM
Slow
Normal
Fast
1.1x