A megawatt laser weapon was fired from an aircraft for the first time.Although the Airborne Laser (ABL) was fired from a stationary plane at a target on the ground just a few metres away, the test marked a milestone for the weapon, developed by aerospace firms Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.The laser was 12 years in the making and cost $4.3 billion, putting it vastly over budget.
Some laser weapons are already being used by the military. In Iraq and Afghanistan a laser system called Zeus, developed by the US navy, is being tested by coalition forces for detonating the improvised explosive devices of insurgents. The 10-kilowatt laser is pointed at the device from a few hundred metres away, to heat the explosive until it detonates. It can take between 4 seconds to 15 minutes to destroy an explosive device - but the advantage is that no soldiers' lives are risked. And last month Northrop Grumman launched Firestrike, an electrically powered 15-kilowatt battlefield laser that can be multiplied in power by adding more units.
I have followed the ABL system for years. It appears to finally be here. I was surprised by some of the other laser weapons mentionned.
Tags: ABL, Laser Weapons, Zeus, Firestrike
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