China has revealed a portable laser weapon designed to be carried and fired by a single soldier to shoot down drones, according to Tom's Hardware.
The weapon was shown by Chinese defense supplier Harbin Xinguang Optic-Electronics Technology, which demonstrated two man-portable anti-drone lasers at a Beijing arms expo this week, Tom's Hardware reports.
The specifications are notable for a weapon meant to be hauled around by one person. Tom's Hardware reports the system is backpack-sized, weighs 55 pounds, and puts out 2 kilowatts of power. It reportedly uses AI to handle targeting, and can burn through a drone at a distance of 1,600 feet — roughly a quarter of a mile — in about four seconds.
The combination of those traits is what makes the announcement significant. Anti-drone lasers are not new, but they have typically been large, heavy systems mounted on vehicles or fixed installations. Shrinking that capability to something a single soldier can carry, while adding AI to help it lock onto fast-moving targets, points toward laser defenses becoming a frontline infantry tool rather than a specialized vehicle-bound one.
It is worth keeping the framing in mind: the details come from a vendor demonstration at an arms expo, where manufacturers showcase products to attract buyers. Real-world performance against swarms, in bad weather, or under battlefield conditions is a separate question from a controlled demo.
Why it matters: cheap, plentiful drones have reshaped modern conflict, and a low-cost, soldier-carried laser that can knock them down for the price of electricity would shift the economics of that fight in the defender's favor.