US Army Will Test Most-Powerful-Ever Laser Weapon System In 2022
Image via General Atomics
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) and Boeing are teaming up to develop a 300-kilowatt laser weapon that could soon become the most powerful system ever used by the US Army.
The high power, compact structure is touted to be as large as a shipping container, and will be mounted onto a heavy truck for use in battlefields. It’s expected to boast a lethal output greater than any other laser system previously fielded by the military.
“This technology represents a leap-ahead capability for air and missile defense that is necessary to support the Army’s mordernization efforts, and defeat next-generation threats in a multi-domain battles cape,” said President of GA-EMS, Scott Forney.
According to NewScientist, the US Navy had made use of a high-energy laser weapon back in 2014, which at the time had a 30-kilowatt output.
With most combat laser systems somewhere between the 30- to 110-kilowatts range, the leap to a 300-kilowatt weapon could be a great step forward in tackling larger, more immediate threats.
Justin Bronk, from the UK’s Royal United Services Institute, said this upgraded network will not only aid the US Army in approaching larger targets, but it could even allow it to defend against multiple enemies in quick succession.
“It will allow the system to engage a greater density of incoming threats, and also potentially engage threats which offer a shorter engagement window either due to speed or very low altitude flight tracjectory,” Bronk explained.
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[via NewScientist, cover image via General Atomics]
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