MBDA Deutschland GmbH and Rheinmetall announced the completion of testing of a combat laser demonstrator, installed on board the frigate Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt) Type F125 German Navy. This was reported by the press service of Rheinmetall..
Laser weapon demonstrator tests successfully completed, while on board a German frigate, he conducted more than a hundred different tests, within which he hit various air targets. In the future, it will be dismantled from the ship and a full study of the results will be carried out for the further development on its basis of an operational laser weapon system for ships.
Combat effectiveness of a laser weapon demonstrator (LWD) has been proven in challenging scenarios under realistic operating conditions against a variety of target types- It said in a statement.
The decision to begin testing a laser weapon demonstrator was made in 2021 year, The Bundeswehr procurement office issued permission for its installation on board a warship. anticipated, that the product has a capacity of approx. 20 kW will be installed on an F124 frigate, but later the Sachsen-Anhalt frigate type F125 was chosen as the platform.
Plans to arm German Navy surface ships with laser weapons were reported back in 2019 year. In the same year, the German companies Rheinmetall and MBDA Deutschland entered into an agreement, within which they announced the development and creation of laser combat systems.
The laser demonstrator operates based on spectral communication technology, which the German defense company Rheinmetall has been researching for many years. Output power scalable up to 20 kW with high beam focusing allows you to hit a wide range of air targets.
