The U.S. Navy Turns 4 Drones into Ashes Using Laser Technology in Recent Test
Illustration of laser shooting down an aircraft from The Washington Post.
According to Livescience, the Laser Weapon System was tested at a U.S. Navy base on San Nicolas Island, located about 120 kilometers west of Los Angeles, California, in May and June. Black and white footage of the test was unveiled at the 2010 Farnborough International Airshow in the UK yesterday.
In previous tests of laser weapon systems, the U.S. military had only targeted stationary or slowly moving objects on the ground. However, in the latest test, the U.S. Navy demonstrated that laser weapons can effectively destroy moving targets from a significant distance. Nevertheless, the Navy did not disclose the range of the laser weapon during the trial.
Another goal of the recent tests was to prove that laser firing systems can perform well at sea, where common factors such as humidity can affect the accuracy of even the most advanced weapons.
“Laser beams can be absorbed and deflected in the air by moisture,” said John Eagles, a spokesperson for Raytheon, the company that manufactures the laser firing system being tested by the U.S. Navy.
An advanced sensor detects and tracks aircraft. Data from the sensor is fed into the processor of the laser firing system, which then simultaneously fires six laser beams at the targets.
Eagles noted that, unlike missiles and bullets, lasers do not create an explosion upon impact with an aircraft. Instead, the laser transmits an immense amount of energy to the target, turning it into a mass of fire.
Raytheon and the U.S. Navy plan to further test the laser system against aircraft on ships in the future.
