"Military Subplane" Author: Mecha 888
▲ "Guardian" laser weapon system (picture source: Internet)
A few days ago, according to a report on the website of the US "Defense News", the US Army has begun to deploy a new land-based laser air defense weapon system called the "Guardian" in Iraq. It is reported that this is the first actual combat deployment of the system since it was put into service.
▲The "Guardian" laser weapon system is one of the main products of the US Army in the field of laser weapons in recent years (picture source: Internet)
Compared with traditional air defense weapons such as anti-aircraft artillery and anti-aircraft missiles, the laser air defense weapon system has the characteristics of strong destructive ability, high accuracy, fast reaction speed, low cost of use and strong sustainable combat capability. The "Guardian" laser weapon system is an outstanding representative product of the US Army in the development of laser air defense weapon systems in recent years.
▲The "Guardian" laser weapon system will begin to be installed in small batches of the US Army in 2022 with a scale of 4 vehicles in a platoon (picture source: Internet)
The "Guardian" laser weapon system, also known as the "Directed Energy-Mobile Short-Range Air Defense System" (DE-MSHORAD), is a new land-based wheeled self-propelled laser short-range air defense weapon system that the U.S. Army began to install in small batches in 2022.
The system is mainly used to protect the U.S. Army's divisional and brigade-level combat units from the enemy's "low, slow, and small" aircraft and grenades/mortars, cruise missiles, rockets and cruise missiles and other air attack weapons. surveillance and reconnaissance) and anti-ISR, and can even be used to attack enemy ground targets. Thus, the "Guardian" laser weapon system can also be understood as a multi-purpose ground-based laser air defense weapon system. In addition, due to the light weight of the "Guardian" laser weapon system, it can also be easily transported by air through C-130, C-17, C-5 and other medium/large transport aircraft in service with the US military.
▲The Ku720 multi-purpose active phased array radar, the "Locust" independent target interception and tracking system and the 50 kilowatt high-energy laser emitter equipped with the "Guardian" laser weapon system (from left to right, picture source: Internet)
In terms of specific performance, the "Guardian" laser weapon system is based on the "Stryker" A1 8X8 wheeled armored vehicle chassis, and is equipped with a 450-horsepower Caterpillar C9 diesel engine and a 910-amp alternator. The main weapon of the system is a 50 kilowatt high-energy laser transmitter mounted on the chassis, which is developed by the intelligence and aerospace company under the American RTX company, which has the characteristics of high power, small size, light weight and good adaptability, and because of the use of fiber laser technology, the laser beam emitted by this laser emitter is of high quality, has good environmental adaptability, and can be closely gathered on the target, so as to ensure that the target can be destroyed faster. At the same time, the "Guardian" laser weapon system is also equipped with complete vehicle electrical equipment to ensure that the vehicle has a high level of digital and information-based combat capabilities, including:
The "Locust" independent target interception and tracking system, the Ku-band Ku720 multi-purpose active phased array radar using gallium nitride antennas, vehicle-mounted combat management, vehicle-mounted communication and command and control systems, and vehicle-mounted power and thermal management systems, etc.
▲Combat rendering of the "Guardian" laser weapon system when it strikes "low, slow and small" targets (from left to right, picture source: Internet)
According to the US Army's current plan, the "Guardian" laser weapon system, together with the "Manticore" missile and air defense weapon system, will form the US Army's main short-range air defense combat system in the next few years, and its possession will account for about one-third of the equipment in the system. The actual combat deployment in Iraq will further test the effectiveness and reliability of the system in the actual use environment, and lay a solid foundation for large-scale equipment in the future. At the same time, according to the plan of the US Army, starting in 2025, the US Army will begin to purchase an upgraded version of the "Guardian" laser weapon system (that is, the "Guardian" laser weapon system BLOCK 1), it is reported that the system will have better development in terms of damage capabilities, so as to further enhance the US Army's anti-"low, slow and small" and field short-range air defense combat capabilities.