Shoot down airplanes by air

The US Navy has successfully researched a type of anti-aircraft gun capable of destroying airplanes with ambient air.

US Navy warships will be equipped with laser guns from the electronics
in the air. ( Photo: Fox News )

Fox News says US naval scientists have been experimenting with a new class of anti-aircraft weapons that can produce lasers from electrons in the air. The lasers they produce are extremely powerful (up to several million watts).

" The laser beamer operates as expected ," said Dinh Nguyen, head of the Free Electron Laser (FEL) team at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Nguyen said his team hopes to set a new world record for laser weapons. FEL technology creates ultra-powerful laser beams that push electrons through magnetic fields. Generally, when making lasers from gas, people must use certain chemicals. This technique produces heat in the laser process, causing the laser output to decrease. Thanks to the use of electrons, Nguyen's group avoids the production of heat during the laser process, thereby destroying the laser's power.

Electronically generated lasers in the air are most effective for anti-aircraft operations, especially when the humidity is high or cloudy. The research team will try to create a complete model before 2018. The prototype will be capable of firing targets at all heights, at all times.

Warships are becoming more and more vulnerable to supersonic missiles because of the technology behind the missile defense system.

" FEL will help American warships with near-instantaneous self-defense capabilities in all sea conditions around the world ," said Quentin Saulter, program manager for FEL.

In addition, Saulter said, because future warships will be equipped with electronic propulsion, FEL weapons will have an abundant electronic supply.