Does China Have Laser Wonder Weapon?

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Is China exaggerating the performance of its new rifle? China allegedly has a “laser assault rifle” that can fire a thousand shots at a time, “carbonizing” human skin and tissue.

The ZKZM-500 laser assault rifle, profiled in the South China Morning Post, is described as a laser wonder weapon. The handheld laser assault rifle is a clunky rectangular shape with a pistol grip, foregrip, and a telescopic sight. The weapon is powered by a lithium battery capable of supplying power for up to a thousand two-second shots.

The ZKZM-500 can reportedly burn human beings, inflicting pain “beyond human endurance.” It can supposedly set flammable clothes on fire, igniting the wearer, or burn through a gas tank and spark the fuel inside to cause an explosion.

The weapon is silent, as there is no gunshot, and the beam is invisible, lending itself to covert military operations. The laser beam can pass through glass, injuring the person behind it.

The laser rifle is reportedly ready for mass production and will enter service with the People’s Armed Police, a heavily armed paramilitary law enforcement agency similar to European gendarmes.

According to popularmechanics.com, there are a number of problems with this alleged weapon. First, its use in war is illegal under the 1998 Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons.

Also, it’s difficult to believe this weapon is as powerful as advertised. Although the article discusses the weapon’s burning effects in detail, the ZKZM-500’s wattage is conveniently left out. The U.S. Military is currently funding research into laser weapons that can do everything the ZKZM-500 reportedly can, but they are multi-kilowatt devices that are so large they must be mounted on armored vehicles or ships.

Another problem is power storage. The ZKZM-500 can reportedly fire a thousand two-second shots, the equivalent of 33 minutes of laser power, from a “lithium battery.” There’s no way a weapon the size of a rifle can store that much energy internally given today’s technology, even if it were stuffed with batteries.