U.S. army succeeded in testing to install a laser weapon at attack helicopter "Apache", expecting that actual warfare will be close

Attack helicopter operated by the US military "AH-64 Apache"The laser weapons test was carried out and succeeded. Practical deployment of Apache, armed with laser weapons, is expected to take place relatively quickly.

Raytheon: Laser strike - A high energy laser mounted on a helicopter shoots a target in groundbreaking test
http://www.raytheon.com/news/feature/high_energy_laser.html

"Laser Apache" Has Successfully Zapped Targets On White Sands Missile Range - The Drive
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/11840/laser-apache-has-successfully-fried-targets-on-white-sands-missile-range

Apache with laser cannon can be checked with the following movie.

First-ever helicopter-based firing of High Energy Laser - YouTube


This is the world's first helicopter "Apache" equipped with laser weapons. The test was conducted in the White Sands missile test site in New Mexico, USA in April 2017.


A laser cannon shaped like a fuel tank mounted on the side of the aircraft.


Laser cannon was developed jointly by US military and military company Raytheon (Raytheon).


From fairly compact laser cannon size and shape, military experts have pointed out that "combat-up is likely there is a fast potential than you think."


Whether it is to withstand high voltage, a thick cable is wearing a fuselage.


Flight test start.


Of course the laser cannon is invisible. It can not be confirmed whether the scene where the laser cannon was actually released is shown in the movie.


Image image assuming laser attack is like this. The laser cannon installed in Apache can attack targets in the range of 1.4 kilometers in straight distance from helicopter.


Expand target.


Further expansion.


I was aiming for a small tank. In order to accurately capture the target, we realized target information and surrounding situation recognition and laser beam control by using "Multi-Spectral Targeting System" consisting of various electro-optical infrared sensors. "We succeeded in concentrating laser energy from an Apache flying over the sky against a stationary target," Raytheon reveals.


According to Raytheon, the test succeeded in aiming at a target with a laser in a flight scene including turning, among various altitudes, wind speeds. It has issued a statement that it was the first time to prove the attack power of the laser cannon mounted Apache.


Missiles that can be mounted on attack helicopters have size restrictions and there is a danger that attack helicopters themselves will be repelled by aircraft guided missiles if they are too close to the target. In addition, it is difficult to narrow down the target in an attack using a bomb from a high sky and there is a problem that it is easy to involve an erroneous bomb. For this reason, laser weapons are very reasonable as a means to increase the attack power of attack helicopters, so if it is a laser weapon equipped with Apache this time, it is relatively easy to divert to other helicopters It seems that the development of laser weapons for helicopter is becoming active.