On December 9, 2015, the official newspaper of the People's Liberation Army of China, Jiefangjun Bao, announced that laser cannons were at the disposal of Chinese soldiers. This was a kind of response to the proliferation of new military technologies such as unmanned systems.
A number of international conventions, notably the 1998 Blinding Laser Weapons Protocol, prohibit the use of lasers and blinding weapons against humans. Optical and thermal sensors installed on vehicles, airplanes and robotic devices remain their targets. For example, the PY132A laser presented at the exhibition of equipment and technical means for the Chinese police is supposedly intended for use against unmanned aerial vehicles launched by attackers and terrorists. Chinese defense manufacturers have also introduced a turret-mounted laser launcher as a tool for law enforcement to destroy small, low-flying drones (although there is a more powerful one for the military).
The emergence of laser weapons and armed robots in China's law enforcement agencies suggests that now, in addition to supplying traditional weapons, China will be able to expand its influence by offering high-tech paramilitary systems on the market.
In a combat situation, laser rifles are very effective in various situations; For example, in urban combat, soldiers can use the PY132A, WJG-202, and BBQ-905 laser rifles to disable sensitive thermal imagers of enemy tanks or blind UAVs. Special forces soldiers can use them to neutralize security cameras and detection sensors. The use of lasers against such targets is permitted by international protocols, but problems remain. When used against the sensors of manned aircraft, the laser beam also blinds the pilots.
While it is unlikely to see Chinese soldiers wielding blasters at the training ground anytime soon, such achievements by the Chinese in developing new military technology indicate that the ideas of science fiction are becoming a reality on the battlefield in the 21st century. It is likely that in the future the Chinese army will be able to use lasers to solve a wide range of tasks.