Laser guidance

Guidancetypeclassification

Semi-active

Usingalaserlocatedonthecarrierorthegroundtoilluminatethetarget,thelaserseekeronthemissilereceivesthereflectionfromthetargetThelaserthustracksthetargetanddirectsthemissiletothetarget.

Theattackwarheadandthe"lasertargetdesignator"usedtoguidethetargetareseparatelyconfigured.Whenattacking,firstusealasertargetindicatortolaunchalaserbeamfromthegroundorintheair.The"seeker"atthefrontofthelaunchedordroppedoffensivewarheadwillcapturethelaserdiffuselyreflectedfromthetargetsurface,andcontrolandguideit.Thewarheadrushestowardsthetargetuntilithitsthetargetandblowsitup.Duetotheexcellentdirectivityofthelaserbeamandtheextremelysmalldivergenceangle,thelaser-guidedweaponhasaveryhighhitaccuracy,whichcanbesaidtomeanwheretohit.Forexample,the"Paveway"laser-guidedbombproducedandequippedbytheUnitedStateshasahitaccuracyof1.5meters.

Active

Thelaserirradiatorismountedontheseeker.Thiskindoflaserguidancehasahighdegreeofautomation,butithasnotactuallybeenappliedtoanti-tankmissiles.Thiskindofilluminatorcanencodethemissile'spresettrajectoryinthelaser,andthelasercannavigateautonomouslythroughthereflectionoflight.Thismethodhasstronganti-interferenceabilityandpreciseguidance,whichissuitableforhittinggroundtargetsintheair,suchastanks.

Laserbeamsteeringguidance

Thelaserreceiverisplacedonthemissile.Whenthemissileislaunched,thelaserisdirectedatthetarget,andthelaunchedmissilefliesinthelaserbeam.Whenthemissiledeviatesfromtheaxisofthelaserbeam,thereceiverissensitivetothesizeandazimuthofthedeviationandformsanerrorsignal,andformsacontrolcommandaccordingtotheguidancelawtocorrecttheflightofthemissile.

Beamcodingisthekeytechnologyofbeamsteering.Thekeytothecontrolofmissilesbylaserbeamsteeringweaponsystemsistoformalaserbeamsteeringcontrolfieldwithencodedinformation.Therearemanyencodingschemesforlaserbeamdriving,suchasdigitalencoding,spatialpolarizationencoding,spatialscanning,andmodulationdiscspatialencoding,amongwhichthelaserspatialfrequencyencodingmethodiswidelyused.Thismethodhasgoodanti-interferenceperformanceandsimpledecodingmethod.Yishihasnohighrequirementsontheuniformityoflightintensitydistribution,buthasstrictrequirementsonthestabilityofthespeedofthemodulationdisc.

Commandguidance

Uselaserpulsestoreplacethewiresusedtotransmitcontrolcommandsininfraredsemi-automaticcommandguidance.Laserreceiverforbomb-onreceiver.Thelaserpulseisemittedafterbeingencoded,suchasusingHammingcode(acodethatcanautomaticallycorrecterrors)toencodethelaserpulse.

Thelaserbeamhasstrongdirectivityandnarrowbeam,sothelaserguidanceaccuracyishighandtheanti-interferenceabilityisstrong.However,thelaserinthe0.8-1.8micronbandiseasilyabsorbedbyclouds,fog,rain,etc.,anditstransmittanceislow,soitsall-weatheruseisrestricted.Ifa10.6micronlong-wavelaserisused,itcanbeusedunderpoorvisibilityconditions.

Laserguidanceisanewtechnologythatonlybegantodevelopinthe1960s.Air-to-groundandsurface-to-airmissilesandlaser-guidednavigationalairbombshaveemergedwithlasersemi-activeguidanceandlaserbeamridingguidance.Laserbeamdrivingandlasersemi-activeguidancehavebeenusedinanti-tankmissiletechnology.

Countermeasurestrategy

Precisionstrategy

Laserguidanceincludeslaserhomingguidanceandlaserbeamridingguidance.Thelaserhomingguidanceincludesthreeforms:activehomingguidance,semi-activehomingguidanceandpassivehomingguidance.Amongthem,themostmaturetechnologyandthemostusedonthebattlefieldissemi-activehomingguidance.Laser-guidedbombsandlaser-guidedmissilesallusethisguidancemethod.

Thelasersemi-activehomingguidanceisconfiguredseparatelyfromtheattackwarheadandthe"lasertargetindicator"forguidingthetarget.Whenattacking,firstusealasertargetindicatortolaunchalaserbeamfromthegroundorintheair.The"seeker"atthefrontofthelaunchedordroppedoffensivewarheadwillcapturethelaserdiffuselyreflectedfromthetargetsurface,andcontrolandguideit.Thewarheadrushestowardsthetargetuntilithitsthetargetandblowsitup.Duetotheexcellentdirectivityofthelaserbeamandtheextremelysmalldivergenceangle,thelaser-guidedweaponhasaveryhighhitaccuracy,whichcanbesaidtomeanwheretohit.Forexample,the"Paveway"laser-guidedbombproducedandequippedbytheUnitedStateshasahitaccuracyof1.5meters.

Laser-guidedbombsareextremelypowerful.AtthebeginningoftheVietnamWar,theU.S.militarydispatchedmorethan600aircrafttoblowupabridgenearHanoianddroppedmorethan2,000tonsofammunition.Asaresult,thebridgewasintact,but20U.S.aircraftwereshotdown.Atthebeginningof1968,theUSmilitaryusedthe"Paveway"laser-guidedexperimentalbomb.Only12aircraftweredeployedandmorethan10laser-guidedbombsweredroppedtocompletelydestroythebridge,buttheUSdidnotloseasingleaircraft.DuringtheGulfWar,themultinationalforcesledbytheUnitedStatesdropped6,520tonsoflaser-guidedbombs,90%ofwhichhitthetarget,whilethe80,000-tonunguidedbombsdroppedduringthesameperiodhadahitrateofonly25%.

Allmilitarypowershavesteppedupthedevelopmentoflaser-guidedbombs.Howtopreventlaser-guidedweaponattacksinfuturewarsisanunavoidablesubject.

Guidancebarrier

Thecommonwaytodealwithlaser-guidedweaponsistoprotectthetargetwithasmokescreen,thatis,tocastasmokescreenaroundthetargetthatmaybeattacked,andhidethetargetinthethicksmokescreen.middle.DuringtheVietnamWar,aftertheU.S.militaryusedlaser-guidedbombstoachievebrilliantresultsforthefirsttime,theVietnamesesidepromptlyusedsmokescreenstocoverpowerplants,bridgesandothertargets.WhentheUSmilitarybombedthesetargetsagain,manyofthelaser-guidedbombsdroppedinthefaceofthethickwhitesmokebecame"blind"whocouldnotseethetarget.Asaresult,noneofthemhitthetarget.

Thereasonwhythesmokescreenmakeslaser-guidedweapons"blind"isthatthesmokescreencanproducestrongscatteringandabsorptionoflightwaves.Thiskindofscatteringandabsorptioneffectivelyblocksthepathoflightwaves,makingitdifficultforthe"lasertargetindicator"toaimatthetarget,andalsomakesthe"finder"ofthelaserguidedweaponunabletoreceivetheguidedlightwavesdiffuselyreflectedbythetarget.Inthiscase,laser-guidedweaponswillnaturallybecome"blind."

Smokescreenprotectioncanbeusednotonlytodealwithlaserguidedweapons,butalsotodealwithothertypesofopticalprecisionguidedweapons,suchasinfraredguidedweapons,televisionimagingguidedweapons,etc.However,thesmokescreenmustbecastatanappropriatetimebeforetheenemy'sopticallyguidedweaponstrikes,anditmustbecarriedoutatthenecessaryplaceintheupperhand.Ifthesmokescreenisnotthickorcannotfullycoverthetargetatthebeginningoftheenemy'sattack,itsprotectiveeffectwillbegreatlyweakened.Therefore,smokescreenprotectionnotonlyrequiresthecooperationofaneffectiveearlywarningsystem,butalsoconsumesalargeamountofsmokingequipment.Itisdifficulttoeffectivelydefendagainstsuddenenemyattacks.

Blackeningprotection

Thekeytothesuccessoflaser-guidedweaponsliesinthefactthatthetargetbeingattackedusuallyhasastrongdiffusereflectioneffectontheirradiatedlaser.Forthesakeofbeauty,manybuildingsadoptlight-coloredappearance,whichcanproducestrongdiffusereflectionoftheirradiatedlaser,andprovideastrongtargetindicatorsignalforlaser-guidedweapons.Sincethelaserguidanceisinseparablefromthediffusereflectionofthetargettotheirradiatedlaser,itisnecessarytofindwaystoreducetheintensityofthediffusereflectionofthetargettothelaserasmuchaspossible.Blackeningthesurfaceisaneffectivewaytoreducetheintensityofdiffusereflection.

Laser-guidedweaponsusuallyusealaserwithawavelengthof1.06micrometersastheirradiatinglight(10.6micrometersarealsouseful).Generally,thereflectivityofthesurfaceofthebuildingtotheirradiatedlightisrelativelylarge,usuallyaround50%,andthewhitesurfacecanevenreacharound90%.Therefore,theyareeasytargetstobehitbylaser-guidedweapons.Ifthesurfaceiscoveredwithamaterialwithhighabsorptivityandlowreflectivityforlightwithwavelengthsof1.06micronsand10.6microns,the"stealth"oflaser-guidedweaponscanbeachievedtoalargeextent,andthelaser-guidedweaponscannotreceiveenough.Reflectedlaserlight,soitisimpossibletocarryoutanaccurateattackonthetarget.Forexample,thereflectivityoflampblackpainttolightwavesof1.06micronsand10.6micronsisonlyabout5%.Suchweakdiffusereflectedlightisdifficulttobereceivedbylaser-guidedweapons.[(Orcover)onthesurfaceofthebuilding,andatthesametime,payattentiontooftenremovethedustontheblackenedsurface,becausethedustwillenhancethediffusereflection,butalsopayattentiontofrequentlysprinklesomewaterontheblackenedsurfacetokeepitmoist.Themoistblackenedsurfacecanenhancetheabsorptionoflightwavesandreducethereflection,andcanalsoplayaroleincoolingandcooling.

Mirrorprotection

Thelaser-guidedweaponfindsthetargetbyirradiatinglaserlightdiffuselyreflectedfromthetarget.Becausethediffusereflectioniscarriedoutinalldirections,theseekerofthelaser-guidedweaponcancapturethelaserlightreflectedbythetargetatanytimeandaimtheattackdirectionatthetarget.Ifaflatmirrorisusedforprotectiononthesurfaceofthetarget,regardlessofwhetherthelaserbeamilluminatingthetargetcomesfromtheairortheground,theflatmirrorwillproduceconcentrateddirectionalreflectionofthelaserilluminatingitaccordingtothelawofreflection.Thereflectedlightisalsoaverynarrowbeam.Itisextremelydifficultfortheseekeroflaser-guidedweaponstocatchit.Evenifitaccidentallyhitsthereflectedbeam,itwillquicklystaggerthereflectedbeamand"missthetarget"duetomutualmovement.Moreover,duetotheconcentratedenergyofthemirror-reflectedlaser,theopticalelementsofthefinderarealsopronetobeblownupandbecomeinvalidwhentheyencounterthereflectedbeam.

Protectiveglassescanbemadeofglass,plexiglass,polyesterandothermaterialswithsmoothandtransparentplatesorsheets(evenharderfilms)throughmetalizedreflectivefilm.Theglassmirrorhasgooddurabilityandisconvenientforbothpeaceandwar.Theorganicmaterialislightandnoteasilybroken,whichismoresuitableforthewarenvironment.Especiallyorganicmaterialsareeasytocutandeasytostickontargetsurfacesofvarioussizes.

Whenusingmirrorprotection,becausethebuildingisrelativelylarge,theprotectionmirrorisusuallycomposedofmanyflatmirrors.Therefore,itisnecessarytopayattentiontokeepthemirrorsinthesameplaneinthesamedirectionwheninstalling,soastoreducetheprobabilityofthetargetbeingfound.

Inordertoachieveabetterprotectioneffect,youcanalsouseacombinationofsmokescreen,blackenedsurfaceandmirrorprotection.Sincetheblackenedsurfaceandthemirrorprotectionworkfrequently,thismakesupfortheshortcomingsofthesmokescreenprotection.Eveniftheearlywarningsystemdoesnotprovideearlywarningoftheenemy'sattack,theincominglaser-guidedweaponisdifficulttoperform.Ifsomesmokescreensarecastbeforethebattle,regardlessoftheircoveragecapabilities,theywillfurtherdeprivetheincomingopticallyguidedweaponsofaccurateguidancecapabilities.

Typesoflaser-guidedweapons

Missiles

Asthemainweaponofthe21stcentury,missilesneedtohaveextremelyhighaccuracy,solaser-guidedweaponsareveryimportantinthefieldofmissiles.Guang,theUnitedStatessuccessfullydevelopedthe"Paveway"laser-guidedbombin1965,anditwasusedintheVietnambattlefieldin1967.Thefirsttimeitwasused,itachievedamazingresults.Asaresult,militaryscientistsfromvariouscountriesbegantopaymoreattentiontolaserguidance.Themajorcountriesarebeginningtostudy.

Guidedprojectiles

Guidedprojectilesareprojectilesthatcanbecontrolledandguidedattheendofthetrajectoryafterlaunchingusingtheirownguidancedevices.Itmainlydealswithtargetssuchastanks,armoredvehicles,andships.Laser-guidedprojectilesarewidelyusedinthefieldofanti-tank.Duetothehighaccuracyofstrikes,theyhaveextremelyhighapplicationsinthearmiesofvariouscountries.RepresentativesincludetheAmerican"BronzeSnake"guidedartilleryshellsandtheSwedish"Stellex"guidedartilleryshells.

Guidedtorpedoes

Asafast-developingservice,theNavyinthe21stcenturygavebirthtocountlessnewweapons.Guidedtorpedoeswereoneofthem.GermansubmarinesthoughtaboutitasearlyasWorldWarII.Tocreateahigh-precisiontorpedoinordertofurtherattacklargeshipssuchasaircraftcarriers,theinventionoflasersmadethisideaareality.Thehighprecisionofthelaserallowsthetorpedotostrikeshipsatlongdistancesmoreaccurately.

Guidedbullets

InearlyFebruary2012,theSandiaNationalLaboratoryofLockheedMartinCorporationannouncedthedevelopmentofalaser-guidedbulletsimilartoadart.Thislaser-guidedbulletis4inches(about10.16cm)longandissuitableforpoint50caliber(referringtotheshelldiameterof0.5inches,about12.7mm)gunfamilyweapons.Researchersclaimthatthelaser-guidedbulletcanautomaticallyadjustitsdirectionduringflightandhitatarget1mile(about1.6kilometers)awaylikeaminiaturemissile.Thiskindofbulletcanbewidelyequippedwiththearmy,therebyincreasingthehitrateofshooting,sothatordinarysoldiersalsohavethemagicalmarksmanshipofsnipers.

Accordingtoreports,onthebattlefieldsinAfghanistanandIraq,duetofactorssuchasweather,windspeed,light,andtargetmovement,Americansoldiersoftenconsumealargenumberofbulletsandcannothitthetarget.Inordertoimproveweaponrangeandshootingaccuracy,theUSDepartmentofDefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency(DARPA)secretlylaunchedaprojectcalledEXACTO(ExtremeAccuracyTaskedOrdnance)asearlyas4yearsago,whichisaprojectwitharangeofupto5kilometers.High-precisionweaponproject.Thelaser-guidedbulletdevelopedbyLockheedMartin’sSandiaNationalLaboratoryispartoftheEXACTOproject.Althoughitisstillinthepreliminarydevelopmentstage,itsultimategoalistodevelopasystemthatcanautomaticallysearchandlocktargets,andAbulletthathitsthetargetprecisely.

Theuniquedesignof"longfronteyesandlongfishfinsbehind"

Peopleoftensaythat"bulletsdonothaveeyes",butthisstatementhastobechangedinthefaceoflaser-guidedbullets.Differentfrombulletsinthetraditionalsense,laser-guidedbulletsbreakthroughtheinertialtrajectoryofbulletsflyingstraightafterbeingfiredfromthethreadedbarrel,settingaprecedentforunpoweredcurvedflight,anddirectlysubvertingthetraditionalshootingprinciple.

Thereisauniquemicro-controlsysteminsidethelaserguidedbullet,whichismainlycomposedoftwoparts:oneistheguidancesystem.Thereisanopticalsensoronthefrontendofthebullettosearchforandtrackthelaserguidancepointofthetarget.Theinternalsensorcantransmittheconstantlychanginginformationofthetargettotheguidanceandcommandelementinatimelymanner.Thelatterusesan8-bitcentralprocessingunit.Calculatetherequiredflightpathandcommandtheelectromagnetictransmissiondevice.Thesecondisthetransmissionsystem,whichismainlyadrivemotorandamicro-projectiletailsimilartoa"fin".Thedrivemotorcanprovidecontinuouspowerforthetransmissionsystem.Themicro-projectiletailcancontinuouslyrotate,adjustthedirection,andcontroltheroundaboutandzigzaghittingofthebullet.Target.Therefore,somepeoplevividlyrefertothistypeofbulletasa"smartbullet"with"longeyesinthefront,longfinsintheback"and"brain".

The"miniversion"oftheminiaturelasermissiles

Comparedwiththeoldweaponsofaimingandshooting,thelaser-guidedbulletsclearlybroughttheinfantryindividualweaponsintoanewera.Itissaidthat,unlikeordinarybullets,thislaser-guidedbulletdoesnotrelyongroovesorthreadedriflingtoachievehigh-speedrotationtomaintainstraightflight.Itadoptsauniquesmoothboredesign,thebulletdoesnotneedtorotateafterlaunching.Theminiature"fin"onitstailcanadjustthedirectionaccordingtothetargetmovementandotherinformationduringtheflight,andcompletetheballisticdeviation,automaticguidanceandaccuratehittingofthetarget..Researchersclaimthatitcanautomaticallyadjustthenavigationpathupto30timespersecondtoensurethatitcanachievetheeffectof"ahundredstepsthroughYang".

Researchersalsoconductedaerodynamicsimulationteststhroughcomputersandfoundthatordinarybulletsdeviatedfromthetargetbyatleast9.8metersevery1kilometeradvancedbytheoutsideworld,whilethislaser-guidedbulletwouldonlydeviateby0.2metersunderthesamecircumstances.Meter.Becauseitsuniquetailwingcanadapttochangesinaerodynamics,toacertainextent,offsettheeffectsofwindspeedandtheearth'sgravity,therebyincreasingthesystem'saiminganddirectshootingdistance,andimprovingcombateffectiveness.

ResearchersatSandiaNationalLaboratorysaidthatwhensoldiersonthebattlefielduselaser-guidedbullets,theydonotneedtorelyonthesightforpreciseaiming.Aslongastheylockthetarget,nomatterwhichdirectiontheyshoot,thebulletswillbeSelf-revisionandadjustmentoftheflightdirectionthroughlasernavigationcanhitthetargetfasterandmoreaccurately.Thisgreatlyweakenstheroleofthesniperknownasthe"deathofdeath."Somepeoplejokinglysay,"Thesnipercanbelaidoff."Otherssay,"The"threepointsandoneline"areabouttobecomeathingofthepast."Guidedbulletsalsohaveanoutstandingfunction:theycanhitenemieshiddeninwalls,trenches,stonesorhouses.

Thislaser-guidedbullethasbroadprospectsfordevelopment.Imaginethatmaybeinthenearfuture,soldierscanusesmooth-boregunsfilledwithlaser-guidedbulletsinsteadofflyinglikerain,butcankillonewithoneshot.Therefore,someexpertssaidthattheuseoflaser-guidedbulletsmarkedthebeginningoftheeraofprecisionstrikesfortheoldestarmofinfantry.Thepersoninchargeofthelaboratorysaidthatitspotentialmajorcustomersincludethemilitaryandlawenforcementagencies.

Althoughthislaser-guidedbullethasbeentestedsuccessfullyandtheresultsareencouraging,therearestillsomeproblemsthatneedtoberesolved.EventhepersoninchargeofSandiaNationalLaboratoryhastoadmitthatthebiggestchallengeisthatthisbullethashightechnologicalcontentandhighcost,whichleadstoinsufficientinvestmentinresearchanddevelopment.Inaddition,someexpertssaidthatthelethalityofthislaser-guidedbulletisnotstrong.Itsmuzzlevelocityisonly2400feetpersecond(about732meterspersecond),whichisfarbehindthestandardmilitaryspeed.Atthesametime,sinceithasnocontinuouspower,onceitchangesitsforwarddirectionduringflight,itwillinevitablyconsumepartofthekineticenergy,soitslethalityismuchweakerthanthatofunguidedbullets.

Futuredevelopments

Laserhomingguidanceisthefuturedevelopmentdirectionoflaserguidance.Thelaserhomingguidanceistousealasertoemitalaserbeamtothetarget,andusethelaserbeamreflectedbythereceiver'ssensitivetargettoguidetheguidedweapontothetarget.mycountryhasbeenconductingresearchonlaserguidancesincethe1970sanddevelopedthe7712laser-guidedbomb.However,duetotheunsatisfactoryhitaccuracy,itwasnotequippedwithtroops.Sincethen,ithasbeencompletelymasteredbyimitatingtheRussianKAB-5090Llaser-guidedbomb.ThistechnologywasusedandequippedintheSecondArtilleryCorps.Inrecentyears,withthetestfiringoftheDongfeng21-Dmissile,mycountryhasdevelopedextremelyfastinthefieldoflaser-guidedmissiles,andcountrieshavealsomadegreatinvestmentsinthisareaandarecommittedtothedevelopmentofstrongermissiles.

Withthedevelopmentoftechnologyinthe21stcentury,nationaldefenseconstructionhasbecomeextremelydifficult.Thedevelopmentoflaserguidancetechnologyhasmademissilesmoreaccurate,whichallowstheenemytoattackmycountry'scommunicationlinesfromalongdistance.IntheIraqWar,atthebeginningofthewar,theUSmilitaryusedlaserprecision-guidedmissilestoblowuptheIraqibridges,makingtheIraqimilitary'slogisticssupplieschaoticandthuswinning.Inmodernwarfare,anti-missilehasbecomeanewsubjectofmodernnationaldefense.Tomakeasimpleanalogy,laser-guidedweaponsareequivalentto"spears",andtheircountermeasuresareequivalentto"shields."Fromapointofview,"spears"areaheadof"shields".Asthemilitariesofvariouscountriesdeepentheirunderstandingoflaser-guidedweapons,theconfrontationoflaser-guidedweaponshasbecomeincreasinglyfierce.Mostofthesemi-activelaser-guidedweaponsinservicearepulsedlaserbeamswithawavelengthof1.06μm,andthebeamcodesarepresetinadvance.Incombat,ifalasersignalequivalenttotheenemy'slaser-guidedweaponislaunchedtosuppresstheenemy'slaserreceiverorsendfalseinformation,theopponentcannotusethelaser-guidedweapon,orthemissileismisguidedandcannothittherealtarget.Usesmokeinterference.Smokeinterferenceisstillanimportantcountermeasure.Itcannotonlyinterferewiththereconnaissancesystemandmaketheirradiatinghandinvisibletothetarget,butalsocanstronglyabsorb1.06μmlaser,sothatthelasersignaloflaser-guidedweaponsisblockedandlosescombateffectiveness.Theuseoflaser-guidedweaponsrequiresaprocessofreconnaissanceandidentification.Ifyourtargetiscamouflagedandinvisibleinadvance,laser-guidedweaponscannotbeused.Configurelaseralarm.Configurealaserwarningsystemonyourowntarget.Laser-guidedweaponsmustirradiatelaserstothetargetduringflight.Whenthewarningdevicedetectsit,youcanimmediatelytakemeasurestomakeitlosecombateffectiveness.Allinall,thedevelopmentoflaserguidancetechnologyinthe21stcenturywillbemorepowerful,anditsdefensewillbebetter.

Inthe21stcentury,withthedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology,laserguidancetechnologyisboundtogetgreaterdevelopment.Thebattleforspearandshieldinthemilitaryisalsothedrivingforceoftechnologicaldevelopment,fromthediscoveryoflasertoLater,itwasappliedtoavarietyofweapons,andthepaththatthelasertookwasextremelybroad,anditalsohadgreatprospects.Theadventofvariouslaserweaponshasmadewarsmorecruel,butmoreprecisestrikeshavealsoreducedciviliancasualties,shortenedthedurationofthewar,andfurtherreduceddeaths.Therefore,weshoulddevelopscienceandtechnologywithasingleandmorepositiveattitude,sothatscienceandtechnologycanbetterbenefitmankindandplayagreaterpositiverole.

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