U.S. Navy Ship in Persian Gulf Armed with Laser Weapon
July 21st, 2017Via: CNN:
In the sometimes hostile waters of the Persian Gulf looms the US Navy’s first — in fact, the world’s first — active laser weapon.
The LaWS, an acronym for Laser Weapons System, is not science fiction. It is not experimental. It is deployed on board the USS Ponce amphibious transport ship, ready to be fired at targets today and every day by Capt. Christopher Wells and his crew.
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Today, the laser is intended primarily to disable or destroy aircraft and small boats. “It’s designed with the intent of being able to counter airborne and surface-based threats,” said Hughes. “And it’s been able to prove itself over the last three years as being incredibly effective at that.”
However, the Navy is developing more powerful, second-generation systems which would bring more significant targets into its crosshairs: missiles.
Those missions remain classified.
More: Watch the US Navy’s New Laser Weapon in Action
