The US Army has been given a contract to create a prototype of a 300-kilowatt laser weapon by the federal government, which involves Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company.
Next year, the military will release the design. According to General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems, the other company working on the project, the prototype will generate a deadly output larger than anything fielded to date.
This technology has been a leap forward in air and missile defence, which is required to support the Army’s modernization initiatives and combat next-generation threats in a multi-domain battlespace.
Even if it is just a demonstration, the system is a substantial improvement above the lasers the military has previously had access to. The experimental Laser Weapon System (LaWS) was deployed on the USS Ponce in 2014.
The technology is said to be capable of producing a 30-kilowatt beam, making it ideal for shooting down drones and other tiny objects. A 300-kilowatt laser, according to New Scientist, could possibly destroy missiles, as well as drones, helicopters, and even planes.
The declaration comes as the global arms race heats up in the wake of China’s successful hypersonic missile test.
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