In a CO2gasdynamic laser (GDL), a small signal gain and an output of 16 &mgr;m have been theoretically examined in detail by solving the rate equations with the population of each vibrational level against the 9.4‐&mgr;m stimulating field. The eight levels of CO2up to the (001) level including the (110) and the (030) levels, and the 31 reactions involving theV‐Treactions are taken into account in this model. With a 9.4‐&mgr;m [P(14)] pulse of 10‐MW input power, 8‐mm‐diam spot size, and 100‐nsec pulse width, a 16‐&mgr;m [P(15)] pulse of 27‐&mgr;J/pulse/cm3extractable energy and 5.7‐kW maximum power is obtained from an active length of 0.1 m. It indicates that by using aQ‐switch technique, high‐repetition‐rate operation of 200 kHz can produce an average output power of 5 W/cm3. Finally, a 16‐&mgr;m continuous lasing by injecting the 9.4‐&mgr;m beam continuously is analyzed.