‘Last line of defence’: military journal sheds light on China’s new LY-1 shipborne laser weapon
Article argues output of laser weapon unveiled at Beijing military parade exceeds American Helios and LWSD Mark 2 MOD 0 laser weapons
A Chinese military magazine has shed light on the mysterious laser weapon unveiled at the country’s Victory Day parade in Beijing this month, and argues that its output exceeds that of its American counterparts.
According to Ordnance Industry Science Technology, a Chinese military journal, the Liaoyuan-1 (LY-1) shipborne laser weapon displayed in the military parade on September 3 will be tasked with “close-range interception of incoming missiles and drones”, serving as the “last line of defence” within the shipborne air-defence system.
The article, published in the latest issue of the journal, added that the LY-1 “may form a complementary range structure alongside the long-range HHQ-9C, medium-range HQ-16C and short-range HQ-10A [naval air-defence missile] systems”.
It also compared the LY-1 with the United States’ Helios laser weapon, saying the Chinese system’s overall structure was “considerably more robust” than the Helios.
“Particularly the LY-1’s lens aperture, which is nearly twice the diameter of the Helios’,” the article added. “Its auxiliary equipment, sensors, elevation mechanism and other subsystems are also far more advanced.”
The article also mentioned a larger LWSD Mark 2 MOD 0 laser weapon that was tested by the US Navy aboard the USS Portland, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, in 2020.
It compared China’s laser weapon with the new US system and speculated that the LY-1’s power output was between 180 kilowatts and 250kW, which “slightly exceeds the naval laser systems already undergoing practical trials by the US Navy”.
Laser weapons are an effective countermeasure against rapidly advancing unmanned aerial warfare, offering advantages such as high operational endurance and low running costs. Many nations are investing in the development of similar directed-energy weapons.
The USS Preble destroyer has been equipped with Helios, a Lockheed Martin weapon designed to intercept aerial threats, such as drones, missiles and small boats.
The LY-1 is regarded as China’s response to Helios. Beijing has said the weapon has entered service, although it is not known which vessels are carrying it.
The article in Ordnance Industry Science Technology cited unnamed military experts as saying the LY-1 “has sufficient space to accommodate power units, implying greater potential output”.
“Not only can it intercept incoming maritime unmanned systems, but it could even be used against anti-ship missiles, with a very low per-interception cost,” one expert said.
The cited experts also noted that the LY-1 “could gradually replace close-in weapon systems such as the 630, 730 and 1130 on warships”, referring to these systems as a liability for surface combatants.
However, military analyst and former PLA instructor Song Zhongping said shipborne laser weapons would “coexist long-term” with close-in weapon systems and short-to-medium-range air defence missiles because their “excessive cost” necessitated “coordination and complementarity with conventional weapons rather than replacement”.
Song added that, for naval forces, laser weapons primarily intercepted low-altitude, slow-moving, small targets, including cruise missiles, “but are powerless against ballistic missiles”.
“Though laser weapons are promising, their deployment at sea, on land or in the air faces significant constraints. After all, the Earth’s atmosphere is not a vacuum. Therefore, laser weapons cannot become the sole offensive or defensive armament. China has given this matter thorough consideration,” he said.
Ordnance Industry Science and Technology journal also revealed the Chinese origin of the LY-1 designation as a name derived from a quote by Mao Zedong.
Liaoyuan means flames spreading across the wilderness.
In 1930, in a letter of encouragement to the Communist revolutionary army, Mao told frontline officer Lin Biao: “A spark can start a prairie fire.”
The phrase became a metaphor for new developments that begin modestly yet possess vast potential for future growth.