On October 29, the Global Network reported that the "Dewey", which had just joined the US Navy's 7th Fleet in September, appeared in the East China Sea.
The Dewey is the 26th Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer built by Northrop Grumman and completed sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico.
USS Dewey
It is 155 meters long, has a displacement of 9500 tons, is equipped with 4 gas turbines, has a speed of more than 30 knots, has a strike range of 8100 kilometers, is equipped with an Aegis ballistic missile defense system, 96 tubes, can be equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles, RIM-66M surface-to-air missiles, comes with 2 harpoon anti-ship missile launchers, two Mark 32 triple torpedo launchers and two "SeaHawk" multi-purpose helicopters, named after General George Dewey of the United States.
ODIN
It is called a laser destroyer, or even the "strongest weapon" by the U.S. military, because the U.S. Navy has installed a new weapon called the Optical Glare Interceptor Naval System (ODIN) on it. ODIN (Chinese Odin) is a low-power laser interception system with a launch power of 60KW, which can blind or damage the missile guidance system, and can also use the laser beam to make the sensors and cameras of the incoming drones not work properly, the main purpose is to eliminate potential unmanned aerial system threats, and its main combat target may be China's unmanned aerial vehicles.
Crew of the Dewey
But in fact, don't worry too much, after all, our laser weapons have long been developed.
As early as the third international defense exhibition in 1995, China exhibited ZM-87 lasers, with a maximum range of 5KM, which is enough to cope with the "Dawn Goddess" ultra-high-speed strategic reconnaissance aircraft. And it is rumored to have actually been used, briefly blinding the opposing pilot for a few seconds.
ZM-87 laser
At the recent 2018 Zhuhai Airshow, the LW30 laser defense system, which debuted, can also defend weapons such as drones, missiles and laser-guided bombs. And its reaction speed is staggering, taking only 6 seconds from the time the target appears to the time it hits the lock. And this is still public data, most likely for export, that is to say, at most a "castrated" version of the self-use device.
LW30 laser defense system
Therefore, at the rate at which our navy launches one "French navy" a year, it is not certain that the next ship will have any weapons on it.
In addition, even if it is a drone, it is also a Chinese drone, and "Odin" must consider the consequences if it wants to move.
China Pterodactyl-II. UAV