American army shoot mortar shells out of the air with a mobile laser weapon

The U.s. army has to say with success tests completed with an experimental vehicle that is equipped with a 10kW-laser weapon. The laser weapon would be more than ninety mortar shells and several drones have successfully brought down.

The tests with the so-called high energy laser mobile demonstrator, a vehicle equipped with a laser weapon that in October 2012 became available, held by the Space and Missile Defense Command division of the U.s. army. When the tests were first the aiming system, which is controlled through advanced radar systems on the vehicle, and the firing of the laser are tried on moving air targets.

During the tests, which is almost a month lasted, knew the mobile laser weapon more than ninety mortar shells and a number of drones from the air, reports ABC News. The on 60mm mortar shells were at a distance of two kilometres, was fired in salvos of two to three projectiles. The laser clears the mortar in time to neutralize by this during their flight to burn so that the projectile no longer explodes when it comes. It would also drones at an altitude of 5 kilometers flew successfully are disabled.

According to the U.s. army and Boeing, the builder of the weapon system, the results are above expectations, partly because it was doubted whether the laser is 10kW sufficiently powerful. In the future, the laser blaster upgraded to a capacity of 50kW and in the longer term would also 100kW to be considered. We also want the builders the necessary vehicle more compact, and the system can be linked with other mobile lasers to multiple goals at the same time to deactivate.

The mobile laser weapon would, according to estimates from the American defensieautoriteiten over approximately ten years on the battlefield can be used and also aircraft and cruise missiles can neutralize. Next year will be trials held around a seaside military base. Incidentally, the Us navy also working on their own laser weapon to develop.