Whenever we watch TV shows or movies set in the distant future, more often than not guns that would have used bullets are replaced with laser blasters. This also seems to be a common trope in space battles where instead of firing projectiles, aircrafts use lasers instead to shoot things down.
It’s starting to look like that future could be becoming a reality, because the US Navy has recently confirmed that they have successfully tested a new laser weapon that is capable of shooting an aircraft down mid-flight. In a series of images and videos that were shared, it shows a US Navy warship firing a laser cannon that took down a drone.
The video also shows that the drone is burning after being hit by the laser. The concept of using a laser gun isn’t exactly new as we had heard about the US Navy conducting these types of tests way back in 2011. We have also seen how lasers are being tested by the US Air Force as an anti-drone defense system.
In a statement made by Capt. Karrey Sanders, commanding officer of Portland, “By conducting advanced at sea tests against UAVs and small crafts, we will gain valuable information on the capabilities of the Solid State Laser Weapons System Demonstrator against potential threats. With this new advanced capability, we are redefining war at sea for the Navy.”