Researchers at a Chinese university with strong military links claim to have invented a revolutionary laser propulsion system to drive high-speed submarines for the first time.
The research, still highly theoretical, would if developed practically mark a breakthrough in China’s efforts to match and overtake American naval strength, at a time the two powers are moving towards conflict over control of the Pacific.
The team at Harbin Engineering University (HEU) said they had found a way to combine laser pulses and fibre optics to generate as much thrust as a commercial jet engine. It would require the same power as drives the current generation of nuclear submarines but would produce far higher speeds. Previously, the high power needs of laser propulsion were thought to rule
