The Air Force (Air Force) is always at the forefront of scientific and technological progress. It is not surprising that such high-tech weapons as lasers have not bypassed this type of armed forces.
The history of laser weapons on aircraft carriers begins in the 70s of the XX century. The American company Avco Everett created a gas-dynamic laser with a power of 30-60 kW, the dimensions of which made it possible to place it on board a large aircraft. The KS-135 tanker aircraft was chosen as such. The laser was installed in 1973, after which the aircraft received the status of a flying laboratory and the designation NKC-135A. The laser installation was placed in the fuselage. A fairing is installed in the upper part of the body, which covered the rotating turret with a radiator and a target designation system.
By 1978, the power of the onboard laser was increased 10 times, and the supply of the working fluid for the laser and fuel was also increased in order to ensure the radiation time of 20-30 seconds. In 1981, the first attempts were made to hit with a laser beam a flying unmanned target "Rrebee" and an air-to-air missile "Sidewinder", which ended in vain.
The aircraft was upgraded again and in 1983 the tests were repeated. During the tests, five Sidewinder missiles flying in the direction of the aircraft at a speed of 3218 km / h were destroyed by a laser beam from the NKC-135A. During other tests in the same year, NKC-135A laser destroyed a BQM-34A subsonic target, which at low altitude simulated an attack on a US Navy ship.
Around the same time that the NKC-135A aircraft was being created, the USSR also worked out a project for a laser weapon carrier aircraft - the A-60 complex, which is described in the first part of the article. At the moment, the status of work on this program is unknown.
In 2002, a new program was opened in the United States - ABL (Airborne Laser) for placing laser weapons on aircraft. The main task of the program is to create an air component of an anti-missile defense (ABM) system to destroy enemy ballistic missiles in the initial phase of the flight, when the missile is most vulnerable. For this, it was required to obtain a target destruction range of the order of 400-500 km.
A large Boeing 747 aircraft was chosen as the carrier, which after modification was named prototype Attack Laser model 1-A (YAL-1A). Four laser installations were mounted on board - a scanning laser, a laser to ensure accurate targeting, a laser to analyze the effect of the atmosphere on the distortion of the beam trajectory and the main combat high-energy laser HEL (High Energy Laser).
The HEL laser consists of 6 energy modules - chemical lasers with a working medium based on oxygen and metal iodine, generating radiation with a wavelength of 1.3 microns. The aiming and focusing system includes 127 mirrors, lenses and light filters. The laser power is about one megawatt.
The program experienced numerous technical difficulties, with costs exceeding all expectations and ranged from seven to thirteen billion dollars. During the development of the program, limited results were obtained, in particular, several training ballistic missiles with a liquid propellant rocket engine (LPRE) and solid fuel were destroyed. The range of destruction was about 80-100 km.
The main reason for the closure of the program can be considered the use of a deliberately unpromising chemical laser. HEL laser ammunition is limited by supplies of chemical components on board and amounts to 20-40 "shots". When the HEL laser is operating, a huge amount of heat is generated, which is removed to the outside using a Laval nozzle, which creates a stream of heated gases flowing out at a speed of 5 times the speed of sound (1800 m / s). The combination of high temperatures and fire-explosive laser components can lead to tragic consequences.
The same will happen with the Russian A-60 program, if it is continued using the previously developed gas-dynamic laser.
However, the ABL program cannot be considered completely useless. In the course of it, invaluable experience was gained on the behavior of laser radiation in the atmosphere, new materials, optical systems, cooling systems and other elements were developed that will be in demand in future promising projects of high-energy air-based laser weapons.
As mentioned in the first part of the article, there is currently a tendency to abandon chemical lasers in favor of solid-state and fiber lasers, for which you do not need to carry a separate ammunition load, and the power supply provided by the laser carrier is sufficient.
There are several airborne laser programs in the United States. One of such programs is the program for the development of laser weapons modules for installation on combat aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles - HEL, implemented by order of the DARPA agency by General Atomics Aeronautical System and Textron Systems.
General Atomics Aeronautica is working with Lockheed Martin to develop a liquid laser project. By the end of 2007, the prototype reached 15 kW. Textron Systems is working on its own prototype for a ceramic-based solid-state laser called ThinZag.
The end result of the program should be a 75-150 kW laser module in the form of a container, in which lithium-ion batteries are installed, a liquid cooling system, laser emitters, as well as a beam convergence, guidance and retention system on the target. Modules can be integrated to obtain the required final power.
Like all high-tech weapons development programs, the HEL program faces implementation delays.
In 2014, Lockheed Martin, together with DARPA, began flight tests of the promising Aero-adaptive Aero-optic Beam Control (ABC) laser weapon for aircraft carriers. Within the framework of this program, technologies for the guidance of high-energy laser weapons in the range of 360 degrees are being tested on an experimental laboratory aircraft.
In the near future, the US Air Force is considering the integration of laser weapons on the latest F-35 stealth fighter, and in the future, on other combat aircraft. The Lockheed Martin company plans to develop a modular fiber laser with a power of about 100 kW and an electrical-to-optical conversion factor of over 40%, with subsequent installation on the F-35. For this, Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force Research Laboratory signed a contract worth $ 26.3 million. By 2021, Lockheed Martin must provide the customer with a prototype combat laser, dubbed SHIELD, that can be mounted on fighters.
Several options for the placement of laser weapons on the F-35 are being considered. One of them involves placing laser systems at the location of the lift fan in the F-35B or the large fuel tank, which is located in the same location in the F-35A and F-35C variants. For the F-35B, this will mean the removal of the possibility of vertical take-off and landing (STOVL mode), for the F-35A and F-35C, a corresponding decrease in the flight range.
It is proposed to use the drive shaft of the F-35B engine, which usually drives the hoist fan, to drive a generator with a capacity of more than 500 kW (in STOVL mode, the drive shaft provides up to 20 MW of shaft power to the hoist fan). Such a generator will occupy part of the internal volume of the lifting fan, the remaining space will be used to accommodate laser generation systems, optics, etc.
According to another version, the laser weapon and the generator will be conformally placed inside the body among the existing units, with radiation output through a fiber-optic channel to the front of the aircraft.
Another option is the possibility of placing laser weapons in a suspended container, similar to that created under the HEL program, in the event that a laser of acceptable characteristics can be created in the given dimensions.
One way or another, in the course of the work, both the ones discussed above and completely different options for implementing the integration of laser weapons on the F-35 aircraft can be implemented.
In the United States, there are several roadmaps for the development of laser weapons. Despite the previously made statements by the US Air Force about obtaining prototypes by 2020-2021, 2025-2030 can be considered more realistic dates for the appearance of promising laser weapons on aircraft carriers. By this time, one can expect the appearance of laser weapons with a capacity of about 100 kW in service with fighter aircraft, and by 2040 the power may increase to 300-500 kW.
The presence of several laser weapons programs in the US Air Force at the same time indicates their high interest in this type of weapon, and reduces the risks for the Air Force if one or more projects fail.
What are the consequences of the appearance of laser weapons on board tactical aircraft? Taking into account the capabilities of modern radar and optical guidance systems, this, first of all, will ensure the self-defense of the fighter from incoming enemy missiles. If there is a 100-300 kW laser on board, 2-4 incoming air-to-air or surface-to-air missiles can presumably be destroyed. Combined with CUDA-type missile weapons, the chances of an aircraft equipped with laser weapons of surviving on the battlefield are greatly increased.
The maximum damage by laser weapons can be inflicted on missiles with thermal and optical guidance, since their performance directly depends on the functioning of the sensitive matrix. The use of optical filters, for a certain wavelength, will not help, since the enemy will most likely use lasers of different types, from all filtering cannot be realized. In addition, the absorption of laser energy by the filter with a power of about 100 kW is likely to cause its destruction.
Missiles with a radar homing head will be hit, but at a shorter range. It is not known how the radio-transparent fairing will react to high-power laser radiation, it may be vulnerable to such an effect.
In this case, the only chance of the enemy, whose aircraft is not equipped with laser weapons, is to “fill up” the opponent with so many air-to-air missiles that laser weapons and CUDA anti-missiles cannot jointly intercept.
The appearance of powerful lasers on aircraft will "zero" all existing portable air defense missile systems (MANPADS) with thermal guidance such as "Igla" or "Stinger", significantly reduce the capabilities of air defense systems with missiles with optical or thermal guidance, and will require an increase in the number of missiles in a salvo. Most likely, surface-to-air missiles of long-range air defense systems can also be hit with a laser, i.e. their consumption when firing at an aircraft equipped with laser weapons will also increase.
The use of anti-laser protection on air-to-air missiles and surface-to-air missiles will make them heavier and larger, which will affect their range and maneuverability. You should not rely on a mirror coating, there will be practically no sense from it, completely different solutions will be required.
In the event of a transition from air combat to short-range maneuvering, an aircraft with laser weapons on board will have an undeniable advantage. At close range, the laser beam guidance system will be able to aim the beam at the vulnerable points of the enemy aircraft - the pilot, optical and radar stations, control elements, weapons on an external sling. In many respects, this negates the need for super-maneuverability, since no matter how you turn around, you will still substitute one or the other side, and the displacement of the laser beam will have a deliberately higher angular velocity.
Equipping strategic bombers (missile-carrying bombers) with defensive laser weapons will significantly affect the situation in the air. In the old days, an integral part of a strategic bomber was a rapid-fire aircraft cannon in the tail of an aircraft. In the future, it was abandoned in favor of installing advanced electronic warfare systems. However, even a stealthy or supersonic bomber, if detected by enemy fighters, is likely to be shot down. The only effective solution now is to launch missile weapons outside the zone of action of the air defense and enemy aircraft.
The appearance of laser weapons in the defensive armament of a bomber could radically change the situation. If one 100-300 kW laser can be installed on a fighter, then 2-4 units can be installed on a bomber of such complexes. This will make it possible to carry out self-defense simultaneously from 4 to 16 enemy missiles attacking from different directions. It is necessary to take into account the fact that the developers are actively working on the possibility of the joint use of laser weapons from several emitters, one target at a time. Accordingly, the coordinated work of laser weapons, with a total power of 400 kW - 1, 2 MW, will allow the bomber to destroy attacking fighters from a distance of 50-100 km.
The increase in the power and efficiency of lasers by 2040-2050 may revive the idea of a heavy aircraft, similar to that developed in the Soviet A-60 project and the American ABL program. As a means of missile defense against ballistic missiles, it is unlikely to be effective, but it can be assigned equally important tasks.
When installed on board a kind of "laser battery", including 5-10 lasers with a power of 500 kW - 1 MW, the total power of laser radiation, which the carrier can concentrate on the target, will be 5-10 MW. This will effectively deal with almost any air targets at a distance of 200-500 km. First of all, AWACS aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, refueling aircraft, and then manned and unmanned tactical aircraft will be included in the list of targets.
In the separate use of lasers, a large number of targets such as cruise missiles, air-to-air missiles or surface-to-air missiles can be intercepted.
What can the saturation of the air battlefield with combat lasers lead to, and how will this affect the appearance of combat aviation?
The need for thermal protection, protective shutters for sensors, an increase in the weight and size characteristics of the weapons used can lead to an increase in the size of tactical aviation, a decrease in the maneuverability of aircraft and their weapons. Light manned combat aircraft will disappear as a class.
In the end, you can get something like "flying fortresses" of the Second World War, wrapped in thermal protection, armed with laser weapons instead of machine guns and high-speed protected missiles instead of air bombs.
There are many obstacles to the implementation of laser weapons, but active investments in this direction suggest that positive results will be achieved. On a journey of almost 50 years, from the start of the first work on aviation laser weapons, to the present day, technological capabilities have increased significantly. New materials, drives, power supplies have appeared, computing power has increased by several orders of magnitude, and the theoretical base has expanded.
It remains to be hoped that not only the United States and its allies will have promising laser weapons, but that they will enter service with the Russian Federation Air Force in a timely manner.
