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Japan trials 100-kilowatt laser weapon — it can cut through metal and drones mid-flight
News
By Fiona Jackson published December 19, 2025
A new high-power laser system will soon be sent to sea for its first tests under maritime conditions.
Aerial photograph of Japanese ship, JS Asuka, performing a turning maneuver in the ocean.
Japan now joins four other nations confirmed to be developing a directed‑energy weapon. (Image credit: Japan Ministry of Defense/Wikimedia Commons)
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Japan has deployed a system that fires laser beams with 100 kilowatts of energy — powerful enough to disable small drones. It was installed on board a 6,200-ton (6.3 million kg) warship.
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The weapon combines 10 lasers (each 10 kW in power) into a single 100 kW beam, giving it enough focused power to burn through metal surfaces. It is a fiber laser, meaning the beam is generated by light being amplified and focused as it travels through a solid-state optical fiber doped with rare earth elements. Engineers designed this system specifically to shoot down drones, mortar rounds and other lightweight airborne threats.
On Dec. 2, Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) confirmed in a statement that the laser system was installed on the JS Asuka test ship after arriving at one of Japan Marine United’s shipyards. It was seen packed into two 40-foot (12-meter) domed modules.
News
By Fiona Jackson published December 19, 2025
A new high-power laser system will soon be sent to sea for its first tests under maritime conditions.
Aerial photograph of Japanese ship, JS Asuka, performing a turning maneuver in the ocean.
Japan now joins four other nations confirmed to be developing a directed‑energy weapon. (Image credit: Japan Ministry of Defense/Wikimedia Commons)
Share
10
Newsletter
Japan has deployed a system that fires laser beams with 100 kilowatts of energy — powerful enough to disable small drones. It was installed on board a 6,200-ton (6.3 million kg) warship.
Advertisement
The weapon combines 10 lasers (each 10 kW in power) into a single 100 kW beam, giving it enough focused power to burn through metal surfaces. It is a fiber laser, meaning the beam is generated by light being amplified and focused as it travels through a solid-state optical fiber doped with rare earth elements. Engineers designed this system specifically to shoot down drones, mortar rounds and other lightweight airborne threats.
On Dec. 2, Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) confirmed in a statement that the laser system was installed on the JS Asuka test ship after arriving at one of Japan Marine United’s shipyards. It was seen packed into two 40-foot (12-meter) domed modules.
