The United States has successfully test-fired a laser weapon in the Gulf of Aden on December 14. A set of pictures from the target practice were released.
The amphibious dock ship USS Portland, currently with the US 5th Fleet, used the onboard laser weapon system to engage the target with a power level of 150 kilowatts.
While the firing of the laser weapon strikes like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie, the technology has been around with the US Navy for a few years now.
‘AN/SEQ-3 Laser Weapon System – (LaWS)’ of the now decommissioned amphibious dock ship USS Ponce was integrated with USS Portland in 2018 and is now referred to as the ‘Solid State Laser – Technology Maturation Laser Weapons System Demonstrator (LWSD) Mark 2 MOD 0’ or simply ‘MK 2 MOD 0.’
The LWSD (Laser Weapon System Demonstrator) aboard USS Portland was used in May 2020 to bring down an unmanned aerial vehicle in the Pacific ocean.
According to analysts, the technology can also be used effectively to neutralize asymmetric threats. Based on the output, it can either destroy a target or simply damage its sensors and equipment.
Laser weapons could also be used for economic reasons. The costs are said to be very low to fire one shot, as opposed to the thousands of dollars spent on conventional weapons.