Chinese scientists have proposed developing laser-equipped submarines to kill satellites stealthily from underwater, potentially revolutionizing anti-satellite ( ASAT ) warfare.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP ) reported that People’s Liberation Army ( PLA ) scientists, led by Professor Wang Dan of the Naval Submarine Academy, have suggested that Chinese submarines could be equipped with megawatt-class, solid-state laser weapons capable of targeting satellites such as SpaceX’s extensive Starlink network while remaining submerged.
The document says this technique addresses the challenge of concealing Cognizant operations, which rely on ground-to-air missiles that can easily abandon the launch site’s area.
It mentions the possibility of laser-assisted light submarines firing at satellites after returning to degree, which would increase the surprise and operational security.
SCMP calls for the mass production of laser-equipped boats to store military threats and points out the ineffectiveness of using rockets against small, numerous, and tightly packed spacecraft like those in the Starlink system.
It makes note of the PLA scientists ‘ document, which provides a comprehensive manual for attacking Starlink-like satellites, and emphasizes the need for satellite position guidance from other forces because the submarine’s detection equipment is limited.
In addition to ASAT activities, the review says laser-equipped ships may perform various tasks, including attacking anti-submarine plane, escorting merchant ships and striking land-based goals.
With their nuclear reactors providing enough power for an energy-intensive weapon while giving the stealth advantage of submarines, nuclear attack submarines ( SSN) may be the best places to mount laser weapons.
According to Liam Nawara in a June 2024 article for the US Naval Institute ( USNI), SSNs have the potential to maintain unimpeded freedom of maneuver despite persistent space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance ( ISR ), which might make them effective ASAT platforms.
Nawara mentions that as the cost-to-launch into low-Earth orbit ( LEO ) decreases, satellite constellations will support more persistent ISR, impacting maritime conflicts.
He claims that SSNs like the Virginia school from the US Navy are an example of a system that can use high-powered microwaves and lasers to attack adversary surveillance satellites.
In a time when surface ships and land forces fight for local authority because of the widespread presence of space-based ISR, Nawara emphasizes the value of boats ‘ cunning capabilities.
He envisions a potential operational setting in which submarines equipped with ASAT-directed energy weapons are essential for achieving localized ISR supremacy and supporting combined force operations.
A laser-armed ASAT submersible will only have to show itself recently in a Forbes article from February 2020, according to H I Sutton, and since they move at the speed of light, it is difficult to use laser to repel enemies.
Sutton mentions that besides killing satellites, submarine-mounted lasers could be effective against swarming unmanned surface vehicles ( USV), promising negligible costs per shot, unlike gun and missile-based systems. He adds that light arms might be able to defeat fast-attacking art or other unfavorable guarded goals.
Additionally, he claims that lasers mounted on submarines could hit southern targets like communications masts or submarine piers. He mentions, however, that the disclaimer is that the submarine may be placed so close to a hostile sea in order for the goal to be of sufficient value.
However, submarine-mounted lasers may also have significant drawbacks, which may be inferred from developing submarine-launched surface-to-air missiles ( SLAMs), a similar mast-mounted weapons system.
In a July 2020 essay for The War Zone, Tyler Rogoway mentions that mast-mounted underwater weapons systems like SLAMs and perhaps lasers may only be beneficial as a last line of defense for submarines that have been detected and facing death from an underwater or space-based risk.
Rogoway claims that to launch SLAMs or laser mounted on a submarine may require the submarine to be extremely close to the surface before it can be attacked.
Nevertheless, he claims that using Smashes or lasers mounted on submarines may lead to believable denial because it may not be necessary to know the submarine’s citizenship before a SLAM or light attack.
Rogoway advises against completely destroying a SLAM or underwater light attack. If that happens, he says that a failed harm does give away the ship’s position, which would probably think certain destruction for the submarine.
He even points out technical difficulties with mounting beams or SLAMs on a submarine mast’s limited space.
In January 2024, Asia Times pointed out that recent light weapons are constrained by natural, mass, strength and cooling requirements, which may not be accessible on surface warships and probably much less on submarines.
Given the significant repercussions of their use, Rogoway claims that SLAMs or submarine-mounted lasers may be a last resort. Furthermore, he mentions that such weapons conflict with traditional submarine warfare tactics.
The proliferation of technologies like commercial satellite imagery, synthetic aperture radar, hydroacoustic monitoring, and even social media may completely negate the idea of submarine-mounted lasers.
Roger Bradbury and other authors claim that advances in science could enable the identification of submarine movements and their environmental effects, potentially making the oceans” transparent” and bringing the end of the submarine era.
In order to forecast the future and its potential developments, Bradbury and his team conducted a thorough analysis in 2020, with a focus on the 2050s. Their evaluation made use of Intelfuze software, which is specialized for addressing issues involving uncertain and speculative data and offers thorough, up-to-date, and transparent probabilistic evaluations.
According to their findings, it is highly probable ( with a 90 % likelihood from some perspectives ) that the oceans will become transparent in most cases by the 2050s.
They say that this high-confidence estimate, evaluated independently by the software at above 70 % certainty, suggests that submarines, including nuclear-powered ones, will likely be detectable in the world’s oceans due to advancements in science and technology, despite any developments in stealth technologies.