Sep 27, 2021,09:09am EDT|273 views
U.S. Navy Building ‘Portable’ Laser Weapon
David Hambling
The U.S. Navy wants the smallest ever high-energy laser weapon, which it describes as ‘portable.’ As we will see, it is not exactly a laser rifle, but it is a step on the way.
Laser weapons are now a battlefield reality; the U.S. Navy deployed the LAWS laser on the U.S.S. Ponce back in 2016. However, so far we have only seen large weapons – laser cannon, so to speak – mounted on ships or other vehicles. Miniaturization is on the way.
Laser rifle
The Air Forces's Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response rifle or PHaSR was a low-power, ...
According to the contract notice last month, laser specializes MZA Associates of Albuquerque, New Mexico, will “will design, develop, deliver, integrate, test and demonstrate a compact, portable, low-cost and reliable C-UAS HELWS” – this last alphabetic jumble being short for ‘Counter-Unmanned Air Systems High Energy Laser Weapon System.’ In other words, a laser to zap small drones. While other laser systems go up to 150 kilowatts and can take on a range of targets, a 10-Kw laser is just powerful enough to take down small consumer quadcopters, an increasing threat on the battlefield.
So how big will the new weapon be?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2021/09/27/us-navy-building-portable-laser-weapon/?sh=67ed3bb1247e
