China unveils the largest crystal for high-powered laser weapons
Synthetic crystal can withstand hundreds of megawatts of laser power and produce far-reaching infrared beams capable of attacking satellites
Chinese researchers have manufactured the world’s largest barium gallium selenide (BGSe) crystal, a breakthrough that could pave the way for ultra-high-power laser weapons capable of zapping satellites from the ground.
The synthetic crystal, measuring 60 millimetres (2.3 inches) in diameter, efficiently converts short-wave infrared lasers into mid- to far-infrared beams that can penetrate atmospheric windows for long-distance transmission.
Crucially, it can withstand laser power as intense as 550 megawatts per square centimetre – exceeding the damage threshold of existing military-grade crystals by an order of magnitude.
The resulting laser frequency converter – measuring 10×10×50 mm (0.4x0.4x2 inches) – dwarfs conventional optics, typically limited to tiny and thin components.
“This represents the largest specimen reported globally to date,” wrote the research team led by Professor Wu Haixin in a peer-reviewed paper published in June by the Chinese-language Journal of Synthetic Crystals.
For decades, self-damage in laser weapons has crippled their power and range. The US Navy’s 1997 MIRACL mid-infrared laser test, which accidentally melted its own components while targeting a satellite, underscored the challenge.
BGSe crystal was discovered by Chinese scientists in 2010 and shocked the world with its unprecedented performance. Western defence contractors rushed to replicate it but struggled with scalability.
Now, Chinese scientists detail how they achieved this advance in materials science.
The manufacturing process demands near-flawless execution, according to Wu and his colleagues at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In the material preparation stage, ultra-pure barium, gallium, and selenium are vacuum-sealed in quartz tubes for a process known as zone refining.
Tubes are heated to 1,020 degrees Celsius (1,868 degrees Fahrenheit) in a dual-zone furnace, creating a molten region. Then, over a month, crystals grow as tubes descend into cooler zones.
Newly formed crystals need to be held at 500 degrees (932 degrees Fahrenheit) for days, then cooled at 5 degrees per hour to eliminate defects.
Polishing techniques also matter. Diamond saws slice crystals along cleavage planes while cerium oxide slurry yields mirror-smooth surfaces.
The key takeaways include absolute exclusion of oxygen and humidity, ultra-precise temperature control and defect-erasing annealing, which is a heat treatment process, to enable crystal integrity at an unprecedented scale.
This technological leap coincides with China’s accelerated directed-energy weapons programme – driven by concerns over Starlink’s military role in Ukraine and space dominance. Major breakthroughs in other areas such as energy sources and heat control have also been reported recently.
Beyond warfare, the crystals can be used to boost medical diagnostics and hypersensitive infrared systems for missile tracking and aircraft identification, according to the paper.
These ultra-large crystals were “structurally intact, free of cracks and optically transparent” with test results suggesting superior performance, Wu’s team said.
They had already been applied in a wide range of cutting-edge research and development programmes since 2020, they added.
Crystals for non-weapon laser systems can be much bigger. The ZEUS (Zettawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser system) laser at the University of Michigan, for instance, uses a large titanium-doped sapphire crystal to amplify its laser pulse to full power.
The crystal, nearly 18cm (seven inches) in diameter, took 4½ years to manufacture.
China showcases full spectrum of drone technology in ‘border control’ exercise
Simulation features latest OW-5 anti-laser weapon, special combat tactical devices and full range of Norinco’s Flying Dragon series
The drone and counter-drone exercise at a testing ground in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region simulated the “seizure and control of critical border locations”, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
It said numerous domestically made systems were deployed in live operations across six phases of the futuristic battlefield scenario, covering reconnaissance, AI planning, infiltration, aerial attack, elimination and anti-access.
Ground equipment, from smart command and control systems to anti-drone defences, was also on show at Monday’s exercise.
An OW-5 anti-drone laser weapon carried out a live-fire demonstration in a rare public display. Its “high-energy beam barely visible to bare eyes” shot down a target drone “a few kilometres away”, the CCTV report said.
The OW5 series was first unveiled at the Zhuhai air show in 2021 as a static exhibit, and the latest presentation showcased the upgraded OW5-A50 with a 50-kilowatt power output. The system integrates the command-and-control station, radar and electro-optical sensors, power module and laser gun into one 8x8 Dongfeng heavy-chassis truck. It can perform key point air defence either with a stand-alone vehicle or as part of an integrated network protection system.
According to the CCTV report, the advantage of laser weapons as a drone countermeasure is that they can lock on and destroy targets instantly with unlimited ammunition for as long as the power supply lasts.
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China stages drone and counter-drone warfare demonstration
The exercise also featured a display of drone-artillery coordination, with a 155mm howitzer rapidly engaging targets using real-time coordinates transmitted digitally from a reconnaissance UAV.
CCTV also aired footage of a group of small tactical drones putting on a live demonstration of their capabilities. Among them was a large flying jammer able to interfere with the electro-optical equipment of other UAVs within a range of several kilometres.
The special combat tactical drones display included the Flying Frog, a vertical take-off and landing or VTOL reconnaissance drone, as well as the Flying Falcon – a high-speed loitering munition, and the grenade-throwing Black Bee, along with the bomb-dropping Flying Whale.
“With these smart partners, our infantry soldiers can evolve into future nodes with full-domain situational awareness and precision strikes, to win by intelligence on the modern battlefield,” the report said.
State-owned China North Industries Group Corporation – the country’s largest arms maker and exporter, commonly known as Norinco – organised the event, where it also introduced its loitering munitions family, Feilong or Flying Dragons.
The series ranges from the anti-personnel Feilong-10, which is small enough to be carried and has a range of less than 10km, to the Feilong-300A – an anti-radiation tactical drone that can target air defence radars up to 300km away.
The Feilong-60 can be fired from normal rocket launchers and works as a reconnaissance data source for guiding rocket fire or as a hoverable cruise missile. The smaller Feilong-30’s launchers are designed to be loaded onto various platforms, including trucks, combat vehicles and ships.
All of these suicide drones could be combined to form a networked swarm that is capable of conducting a saturated attack, according to the CCTV report.
