The US Navy’s capabilities are shifting towards a more futuristic approach as their equipment is breaching the barriers of science- fiction.We are arriving at a point where torpedoes and bullets are replaced with something akin of a Star Wars movie.What am I talking about more exactly? Laser weapons of course. When will they be put to use? Now apparently as the navy currently has a fully working laser beam aboard the USS Ponce which is stationed in the Persian Gulf.
The $40 million weapon has been evaluated for an entire year and last summer it was deployed succesfully.The 30-kilowatt Laser Weapon System (LaWS) can set fire to anti-ship arms or can be used as a powerful blinding warning not to mention that it’s highly efficient against fast-moving targets.The weapon consists of six commercial wielding lasers that concentrate their energy into a single deadly beam, something that we have never truly seen in action. Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder points out this historical fact as the US Navy representative said that “This is the first time in recorded history that a directed energy weapons system has ever deployed on anything.”Surely the use of such a highly sophisticated weapon may prove costly but actually that is one of LaWS’s biggest advantages. One single firing shot costs roughly $1 but it’s still not the US Navy’s go to weapon of choice yet as the laser beam still depends on a few factors such as weather conditions or the presence of dust and vapor.Beyond the experimentation of warfare, the LaWS is also a good way of observing how well the laser beam will adapt on a warship. Powering up the weapon requires a lot of electricity and the USS Ponce is backed up by strong generators. As Pentagon’s top weapons buyer Frank Kendall points out : ït’ll help us feel out the operational limitations”.
The US Navy doesn’t stop there though. While LaWS is certainly a technological wonder, another laser based weapon is being developed, one with a lot more power.Klunder estimates that 2017 will be the year in which a more powerful 100-150 kilowatt laser system will be deployed next to the 30-killowatt LaWS.No direct threats have appeared in order for the weapon to be put to good use but the US Navy is now more prepared to face what may or may not come in their way. A better part of the US Navy is stationed in the Persian Gulf due to several threats made from Iran to block one fifth of the global oil trade that is made possible through the Strait of Hormuz.Besides Iran, China has also been working on better precision anti-ship missiles for a more fortified shore between them and the US Navy.If you’re not convinced of how powerful this laser beam is, take a look below and see for yourself. LaWS can be seen here taking down a small aerial drone in only just 2 seconds.