In science fiction films, we are already accustomed to seeing various types of weapons that use laser beams as "cartridges". But are all these cannons so “fantastic”? Apparently, the future is much closer than we think. Indeed, according to the press service of the Xi'an Institute of Optics (China), the scientists of this institution managed to develop a real machine that shoots a laser.
The laser weapon is called the ZKZM-500, although some refer to it as the "laser AK-47". According to the developers, the gun is capable of hitting targets from a distance of 800 meters, causing rapid charring of the surface layer of the skin, which causes severe pain. In this case, the laser may well damage the sensitive retina of the eye and blind the enemy. In addition, the "laser AK-47" is said to be powered by lithium-ion batteries and is capable of firing several thousand two-second rounds in a 30-minute runtime. The mass of the machine is about 3 kilograms.
There are no other details about the laser machine at the moment, but some experts doubted the veracity of the developers' statement. In particular, the fact is indicated that one laser shot will require several tens of kilowatts of energy, and given that the gun is powered by lithium-ion batteries, their weight should exceed the declared 3 kilograms by several tens of times. Moreover, laser "cartridges" weaken as the distance from the target increases, so that to defeat the enemy from a distance of 800 meters, even more energy will be required, and therefore more capacious batteries in order to work out the declared 30 minutes. In any case, as they say, there is no smoke without fire, and the creation of portable laser weapons is only a matter of time.
Vladimir Kuznetsov
