Skip to content
Chinese scientists are reportedly on the brink of creating laser-powered submarines that would achieve speeds comparable to jet engines.
Engineers at Harbin Engineering University in Heilongjiang province, where China’s first experimental submarine was developed, claim that the country’s military is making remarkable progress in this field, according to a South China Morning Post report.
The innovative concept involves using lasers to generate plasma underwater, creating a “detonation wave” to propel submarines forward. Initially proposed by Japanese researchers two decades ago, Chinese scientists have been working on adapting and refining this laser propulsion technology for over a decade.
Previous attempts at laser propulsion faced challenges in generating a force to steer submarines in a specific direction.
However, researchers at Harbin now believe they have overcome this hurdle. Their proposed method involves coating submarines with thin optical fibers emitting laser power, each finer than a strand of human hair.
According to the engineers, this approach could generate up to 70,000 newtons of thrust, slightly less than a commercial jet engine, using only two megawatts of laser power. The directed laser energy would also induce “supercavitation,” enveloping the submarine in bubbles to enhance its velocity.
Theoretically, this could enable submarines to travel faster than the speed of sound while evading sonar detection due to the absence of mechanical noise vibrations.
This breakthrough comes amid concerns raised last year about the United States potentially falling behind in the submarine arms race against China, which has invested significantly in researching new underwater weapons technology.
While the concept of laser-propelled submarines may seem like a page out of science fiction, the potential for weaponizing such technology raises significant and valid concerns.
Project leader Ge Yang has pointed out the broader applications of this technology, suggesting that it could significantly enhance the underwater range of various projectiles, underwater missiles, or torpedoes by inducing supercavitation.
