英國將推動激光武器開發 項目合同達4000萬美元
Britain's Ministry of Defense (MOD) confirmed Sunday it is finalizing a contract worth almost 40 million US dollars to develop the country's first laser weapons for military use.
英國國防部上週日證實，將敲定一項價值近4000萬美元的合同，用來研發英國第一代用於軍事用途的激光武器。The contract with British firm MBDA UK will see the development of a Laser Directed Energy Weapon Capability Demonstrator,
這份與英國歐洲導彈集團簽訂的合同將推動激光定向能武器演示設備的發展。The project will assess innovative laser directed energy weapon technologies and approaches, culminating in a demonstration of the system in 2018/19, said the MOD.
英國國防部表示，該項目將評估研發激光定向能武器的技術和方法，並將演示設備定於2018年或者2019年交付使用。
Called Dragonfire, it sounds like something straight from science fiction movie such as Star Wars.
我們將它命名爲'龍火'，這聽起來就像是直接從科幻電影如星球大戰裏出來的東西。
What would be Britain's first laser weapon, was capable of being mounted on ships to shoot down enemy jets and missiles or even used by ground forces to destroy incoming mortar rounds.
它將是英國的第一代激光武器，能夠安裝在船上擊落敵人的飛機和導彈，甚至讓地面部隊使用來摧毀來襲的迫擊炮彈。It could replace conventional systems, offering a lower cost and more efficient alternative to current weapons.
它可以取代傳統的武器系統，比起現階段的武器，這類替代武器成本更低、打擊效果更強。A laser only needs a power source to fire, whereas conventional weapons need ammunition or use missiles, which relatively expensive and take up space.
一個激光只需要一個電源來射擊，相比之下，傳統武器需要彈藥或導彈，耗資相對昂貴且佔用空間。The company behind the technology, MBDA UK, say the initiative will put Britain at the forefront of laser system technology.
負責開發該技術的歐洲導彈集團英國分公司表示，這項發明將使英國處在激光系統技術前沿。MBDA spokesman Dave Armstrong said: "Dragonfire will put the UK at the forefront of high energy laser systems, capitalizing on the experience of joint MoD/Industry working in the complex weapons environment."
歐洲導彈集團發言人戴維·阿姆斯特朗說道：“通過相互借鑑器國防部與本行業在複雜環境下工作的經驗，'龍火'會使英國在高能激光系統方面走在前列。"Furthermore, it advances the UK towards a future product with significant export potential, as well as providing opportunities for partnerships with other nations' armed forces that have similar requirements."
“此外，這項發明不僅會給英國帶來具有非常重大出口潛力的產品，也會給英國帶來更多機會，讓英國與同樣有這方面需要的他國軍隊合作。”Nick Joad, from the MOD's Defense Science and Technology (Dstl) said the project is being made possible under a disruptive capabilities initiative that the MOD is delivering to ensure it retains the ability to have a decisive edge through the use of advanced technology.
來自國防科技實驗室的尼克·喬德表示，國防部決心通過使用先進的技術來確保自己可以佔據決定性優勢，這個項目就是在這追求顛覆性能力的主張下才得以規劃的。Dstl's Peter Cooper said: "This is a significant demonstration program aimed at maturing our understanding of what is still an immature technology. It draws on innovative research into high power lasers so as to understand the potential of the technology to provide a more effective response to the emerging threats that could be faced by UK armed forces."
國防科技實驗室的彼得·庫伯說：“這是一個重要的演示程序，目的在於深化我們對一個尚未成熟的技術的理解。它借鑑了高功率激光器的創新研究，以瞭解該技術的潛力，爲英國軍隊可能面臨的威脅提供一個更有效的應對方法。”
