Summary and Key Points: The United States has long struggled to develop effective laser weapons, or directed energy weapons (DEW), but China's rapid advancements in this field pose a significant threat.

-Chinese scientists have reportedly made breakthroughs in laser technology, including using lasers to penetrate the "black barrier" surrounding hypersonic weapons and potentially defending against such weapons.

-These advancements highlight China's growing technological edge in various areas, raising concerns about its ability to challenge U.S. military dominance. As China's military continues to modernize, the failure of the U.S. to innovate in DEW could lead to a dangerously even playing field.

Is China Outpacing the U.S. in Laser Weapon Development?

The United States military has been trying to develop laser weapons, or directed energy weapons (DEW), for years. To date, it has failed. 

America’s number one geostrategic rival, however, seems to be moving forward fast in designing and developing laser weapons. Over the last few years, Chinese scientists have made some stunning pronouncements about their indigenous laser weapon programs.

I know, I know. The Chinese government lies as a matter of course. Misdirection and disinformation are key tenets of the regime. Still, the Chinese military has modernized enough in fact to be a true near-peer rival to the U.S. military. 

Sure, the Chinese military has never really been tested in combat. But in terms of size, technology, and funding, the Chinese military is a real force in the world – far more than it was even 20 years ago.

China Leapfrogs America in Laser Weapons

Multiple scientific papers have been published by Chinese scientists in reputable journals detailing just how, precisely, China is moving ahead of the Americans in the critical area of DEW development. 

This is a sad situation, as the Chinese have already moved beyond the Americans in technological areas such as hypersonic weapons. The Chinese are at the very least tied with the Americans in the critical biotechnology domain, and they are right behind the Americans in quantum computing advancements as well as in artificial intelligence development. 

These technologies build off each other. China’s advances in fifth-generation internet have allowed them to get ahead of the Americans in terms of sixth-generation internet. Meanwhile, thanks to their lead in hypersonic technology, the Chinese have not only been able to build and perfect real-world-ready hypersonic weapons, but they’ve been able to work out many of the technological kinks. 

One example that I continue to fall back on is that of the ingenious use of 6G internet married to a high-powered laser to cut through the so-called “black barrier” that envelops a hypersonic weapon as it travels at five times the speed of sound (or possibly faster). The “black barrier” is what scientists call the superheated plasma bubble that forms around the hypersonic weapon. 

That plasma barrier prevents standard communications signals from penetrating and degrades human control over the system. This occurs for a key ten-minute period in the flight of a hypersonic weapon. 

Scientists at Tianjin University in 2022 reportedly figured out how to beam 6G internet through the black barrier by merging it with high-powered lasers, allowing for complete and effective control of the kill vehicle from launch to its target destination. 

China has invested in high-powered lasers for many years and have created an anti-satellite weapon that can “dazzle” sensitive U.S. satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO). This capability has been around for a while. The investment and development, however, have permitted Chinese scientists to outpace their American competitors to the point that now they’ve created this unique capability, however rudimentary. 

China Out-Innovates the Americans

Beijing’s scientists have further figured out how to employ lasers as a direct weapon to use against incoming hypersonic weapons. So, here we have a tragic example of the Chinese not only outpacing the Americans in the development of hypersonic weapons, but now in the defense against hypersonic weapons, too. 

Whereas the U.S. military has struggled to develop its own reliable laser weapons platform, the Chinese scientific community believes it can destroy incoming hypersonic weapons by using lasers to “peel” off the skin of any hypersonic weapon.

This means exposing the weapon’s internal machinery to the superheated elements surrounding it, ultimately sending it off-course. 

China’s Threat is Getting More Serious 

There is a mythical notion among many China watchers in the West that the regime will soon collapse, and we will all breathe a sigh of relief. As the kids might say today, that’s some high-grade “copium.” China is wealthy and competitive with the United States. What’s more, they’ve built an entire technological ecosystem that rivals our own. 

While nothing can replace the fighting prowess of the force, American military technology has rightly been described by Chinese observers as “magic.” If the Chinese can replicate that “magic” and even negate our own, then with their superior numbers, as well as the likely proximity to China of any potential conflict, the Chinese military stands a good chance of defeating U.S. military power. 

American failure to innovate DEW systems before the Chinese would leave U.S. and Chinese forces evenly matched. Any U.S. leader worth their salt should consider the prospect of a “fair fight” between U.S. forces and a foreign military to be the worst-case scenario.  

Author Experience and Expertise: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is due October 22 from Encounter Books. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock.

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