Laser beams at the ready

• Autores: Paul Marks
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 2913, 2013, pág. 24
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • When the USS Ponce steams into the Arabian Gulf next year, it will have a far less costly tool at its disposal: it will be the first warship with a laser weapon, the US Office of Naval Research has revealed. Developed by Raytheon Missile Systems, based in Tucson AZ, the Laser Weapon System (LaWS) will be able to track and destroy drones or explosives-packed speedboats like the one which attacked the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, killing 17 sailors. Whereas missile systems need to be reloaded, a laser can be fired repeatedly so long as the ship can supply enough power and the weapon can be cooled between shots. US navy research chief Matthew Klunder says that although the first such system cost 532 million, in the longer run it will be "tremendously affordable." The laser has so far excelled in tests, combusting drones and setting speedboat outboard motors alight.