An externally heated copper vapor laser using a carbon tubular heater is described. A recrystallized alumina tube of 20‐mm inner diameter is used as the laser tube, which is located inside the tubular heater. When the heating power of the carbon heater is 3 kW, the temperature of the laser tube is 1600 °C. The average laser output power is measured to be 1.2 W at a laser tube temperature of 1500 °C when the charging voltage to the energy storage capacitor is 5 kV, the pulse repetition rate is 5 kHz, and the Ne gas fill pressure is 10 Torr.