The US Army develops a laser gun that shoots down unmanned aerial vehicles

The US military has developed a new weapon that can shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles, more importantly it is more efficient and less expensive, as well as never used in combat.

Last week, soldiers first shot down unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery shells with a laser gun mounted on the vehicle. However, the type of laser weapon this new generation will not be ready 'battle' till early as 2017, according to Terry Bauer, who oversaw the development programs of weapons in Command missile defense and not of the US military.

Picture: uasvision.com

Designed by Boeing and called the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator , this new weapon was created for dangerous battlegrounds such as Iraq and Afghanistan, which are often hit work by rockets, artillery or other weapons. This laser gun emits a laser beam and attacks unmanned or missile or ballistic missiles. When the laser beam hits the target it will disintegrate them and make them harmless.

This laser gun can fire multiple laser beams at the same time, and military officials say it worked well during the 23-day test run at a missile launch site in New Mexico, where it has killed 90 shells and several unmanned aircraft.

Currently, experimental laser guns use a 10kW laser beam, however, as planned, it will be increased to 100kW in new trials in the future. The stronger the laser beam, the faster it will destroy the object.

According to Bauer, laser guns are more cost-effective than conventional weapons. If the military is equipped with more laser guns, they will need less missiles and cannons. Laser guns can also reduce transportation costs, without the need for multiple trucks to move cannons to different locations. And once the laser guns are in place, the ammunition does not need to be any more.