Still lagging behind China and US.
The LY-1 laser weapon developed by China is considered to be a rival to the US Helios system, as per a
report by the
South China Morning Post (SCMP). Helios has been deployed on the USS Preble destroyer, but China is yet to disclose the names of the warships on which it has fielded the LY-1 system.
The Chinese military magazine says that the power output of the LY-1 laser weapon is between 180 kilowatts and 250 kilowatts. Moreover, it claims that the Chinese laser weapon’s lens aperture is approximately twice that of the US Helios, and the other auxiliary equipment is also more advanced.