The development of lasers for combat purposes goes as far back as at least the Regan era,
as the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) from that time period had
many innovate ideas about how we could develop a sophisticated
anti-ballistic missile system. Many of these anti-ballistic
ideas featured lasers prominently. Despite this fact, laser weapons
haven’t really ever proliferated on the battlefield, but that could soon
change.
The army, together with General Dynamics, an aerospace and defense
company, is developing a short-range laser weapon that can identify and
intercept drones, mortar shells, and other flying threats.
The weapon system could be mounted on the roof of an armored
personnel vehicle, and it features a 5 kilowatt laser, a step-up from
General Dynamics’ previous effort, which came in at just 2 kilowatts. It
has its own radar, so it stays operational even if the existing systems
in the vehicle go down.
The joint venture is also looking to integrate a jamming system to
the weapon, so it does not have to fire a shot to take down a threat.
Remarkably, their current tests show that the system can identify and
destroy UAVs 21 times out of 23.
This development shows how the changing landscape of war—the advent
of technologies like drones and autonomous weapons—spawns a host of new
innovations that ultimately reshape combat…and even society itself. In
the end, those behind the work note that this laser system is just one
of many in development that aims to protect soldiers in dangerous
environments.
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