Bodyguard Laser-Guided Weapon Countermeasures System

Last updated: 7 May 2007

The Bodyguard Electro-Optical Countermeasures System designed to disrupt the laser-guided weapons (Source: CETC)

The military planners in China have recognised the growing threat of the precision guided air-to-surface weapons in the modern battlefield, and have been studying the possibility of suppressing enemy's precision strike weapons by using both passive and active countermeasures methods. As one example, the Bodyguard laser countermeasures system was developed to counter one particular type of precision guided weapon -- laser guided bombs and missiles.

Although it is still difficult to tell the effectiveness of systems like Bodyguard in a real combat, this kind of programme certainly reflects how serious the PLA is in preparing a possible local war under high-tech conditions. It is also a tradition of the PLA to use cheap, simple but effective means to counter the enemy’s sophisticated weapon systems. It can be expected that more weapon systems like this will be revealed in the future.

Loaded in two cross-country trucks and two trailers, the Bodyguard laser countermeasures system comprises five subsystems, including Laser Warning Receivers (LWR), Active Laser Jamming (ALJ), Passive Laser Jamming (PLJ), Central Display Control (CDC) and Power Supply (PS). One system is capable of protecting an area of 6,000~16,000 square metres.

The Bodyguard system will be deployed near the target to be protected. When enemy aircraft turns on its laser illuminating to aim the targets, the laser warning receivers deployed around the target will pick up the laser beam and inform the CDC unit. Within seconds the PLJ will launch grenades to form a smoke obstacle over the protected target to block the enemy's laser illuminating. At the same time the ALJ unit will launch similar laser beam to the fake targets some distance away from the protected targets. The fake targets reflects the laser signal back to the enemy’s laser guided weapon to misguide it so that it will hit the fake target rather than the real one.