In electric-powered laser test, Navy shoots down cruise missile analog

Summary

This article by Justin Katz, writing for Breaking Defense, makes the following points:

• The Office of Naval Research conducted the test at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in February 2022 but has only just announced the results.
• The weapon, called the Layered Laser Defense, is built by Lockheed Martin and can be used to counter drones and fast-attack boats.
• The test involved shooting down a target representing a subsonic cruise missile in flight.
• The Navy said the laser took out multiple targets in addition to a cruise missile; these targets included quadcopter drones and other UAVs.
• The Navy—and the US Dept of Defense—have become increasingly interested in directed energy weapons in recent years.

References

Recent Runway Posts related to this topic:

• THE 2022 RUSSO-UKRAINE CONFLICT

References from the Web:

• APR 2022 U.S. Navy Conducts Historic Test Of New Laser Weapon System—Naval News
• APR 2022 Lockheed Laser Shoots Down Aerial Targets For U.S. Navy Demo—Aviation Week

Source Information:

• Article Source: Breaking Defense
• Media Check: Breaking Defense - Media Bias Fact Check (mediabiasfactcheck.com)
• RAAF RUNWAY: RATIONALE, GUIDELINES, LEARNING OUTCOMES, ETC |