OW5
| OW5 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Directed-energy weapon |
| Place of origin | China |
The OW5 is a Chinese ground-based high-energy laser weapon designed to intercept low-attitude, slow-moving targets.
History
[edit]The system was officially unveiled at the 2025 China Victory Day Parade as part of the People's Liberation Army's anti-drone air defense system, but the vehicle was spotted earlier in transit on highways in June 2025.[1][2]
Variants
[edit]The export versions of the system, including variants such as OW5-A10, OW5-A30, and OW5-A50, were promoted by the China North Industries Group Corporation (Norinco) in 2021.
The variant designation denotes the laser's rated power—the OW5-A50 is rated at 50-kilowatt [3]
The particular version unveiled in September 2025 was the OW5-A10 variant, which fires a 10-kilowatt laser and is mounted on a Dongfeng Mengshi platform, and the OW5-A50, which is mounted on 8×8 heavy wheeled truck chassis.[4][5][6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Malyasov, Dylan (14 June 2025). "Chinese laser gun spotted on highway". Defense Blog.
- ↑ "China tests first OW5-A50 laser air defense system to defend key areas from enemy drone swarms". armyrecognition. 24 July 2025.
- ↑ Sato, Daisuke (20 July 2025). "China debuts new mobile drone-killing laser". Defense Blog.
- ↑ Barker, Memphis (2 September 2025). "China is about to reveal the weapon it's been hiding from the world". The Telegraph.
- ↑ Osborn, Kris (30 July 2025). "Can China's Truck-Mounted Counter-Drone Laser Rival the US Army?". Yahoo News.
- ↑ Panella, Chris; Loh, Matthew (9 September 2025). "What China's big weapons flex says about how it's arming for future wars". Business Insider.