U.S. successfully tests laser weapon that can destroy aircraft mid-flight
#GS3 #Technology #Defence
A U.S. Navy warship has successfully tested a new high-energy laser weapon that can destroy aircraft and drones in mid-flight, the Navy’s Pacific Fleet said.
- Images and videos provided by the U.S. Navy show the amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland executing the first-of-its-kind at-sea test of a “high-energy class solid-state laser” to disable an aerial drone aircraft.
- The images show the laser emanating from the deck of the warship. Short video clips show what appears to be the drone burning, according to CNN.
- The U.S. Navy did not give a specific location of the laser weapons system demonstrator (LWSD) test, saying only that it occurred in the Pacific Ocean on May 16.
- The power of the weapon was not disclosed, but a 2018 report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies said it was expected to be a 150-kilowatt laser.
- The U.S. Navy says lasers, which it calls directed energy weapons (DEW), can be an effective defence against drones or armed small boats.
