South Korea has announced that it has developed a laser-power enhancing technology which is expected to be used as an air-defense system that the country has been aggressively working on.
The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) said in a statement that the technology merges multiple lasers with distinctive wavelengths into a single beam, which is assumed to refer to a technique known as spectral beam combining, reports Janes.
If developed as a weapon system, it can be used for air defense against threats such as unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and/or missiles, said the ADD.
Earlier, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that it had started working on a laser-based antiaircraft weapon system to neutralize drones that could be used for terrorism, attacks or reconnaissance missions.
The laser weapon would be proficient in close-range precision strikes against drones and multicopters, the agency had stated.
“In addition to not being visible to the eye and being completely noiseless, the laser weapon can be used only with the supply of electric power, ” DAPA had stated. “The cost to fire it one time amounts to only around 2,000 won [US$1.68],” it added.
DAPA also plans to enhance its laser weapons capability so that South Korea can intercept fighter jets and hostile missiles.
“No country has blended laser antiaircraft weapons into its military,” Song Chang-joon, head of DAPA’s guided weapon project division had stated. “Once the development is accomplished, it will be a massive success for South Korea’s defense science and technology,” he added.