Navy test fires shipboard high-energy laser weapon, which could destroy unmanned aircraft or small boats
Jan. 4, 2022
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy has released dramatic photos from a high-energy laser weapon demonstration that attacked a floating target during a test in the Gulf of Aden. Fox News reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
4 Jan. 2021 -- The laser weapon was test-fired from the amphibious transport dock USS Portland, which previously used the laser in 2020 to destroy a drone, which was considered a first-of-its-kind test of such a weapon.
The laser weapon test last month could be used to counter bomb-laden drone boats deployed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have deployed drone boats into the Gulf of Aden, which can be piloted remotely and sent up to a target before detonating. These boats are suspected of being built with Iran’s help.
Related: High-energy laser weapons move quickly from prototype to deployment
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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
