Boeing introduces a laser cannon to shoot down drones

Boeing

The Boeing HEL MD.

Lasers are already in use on military trucks and Navy ships, but Boeing premiered a new version that can fit inside a suitcase earlier last week in New Mexico, Wired reports.

HEL MD works by shooting a 10 kilowatt beam of focused light at light speed towards airborne targets.

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The beam will then quickly heat the surface of the target until it bursts into flames. Boeing claims the laser works with "pinpoint precision within seconds of [target] acquisition, then acquires the next target and keeps firing."

Boeing

The HEL MD system targets and detonates a projectile.

The HEL MD, potentially these lasers could serve to defend against hypersonic missiles, which fly too fast for conventional missile defense.

Wired reports that the laser is accurate within a few inches, and it can disable or destroy the flying foe depending on what the situation calls for. So an incoming mortar can be detonated from a safe distance.

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The HEL MD system detonates an incoming mortar.

The laser also has the benefit of being totally electronic, so no dangerous projectiles will be fired, and as long as the electricity flows, the machine can fire indefinitely. For that reason, the HEL MD system is a rare instance of a high tech defense product having a low operational cost.

Boeing hopes to have the system available for purchase within a year or two, according to Wired, who also report that Boeing will add sound effects to the silent machine.

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