ISRAEL’S MILITARY USE A LASER TO ATTACK DRONES

Dharamshala, 23^rd June: In a first-of-its-kind test, the Israeli military deployed a jet equipped with a high-powered laser to intercept and shoot down unmanned aircraft in flight. The Israeli military is continuously looking for new ways to counter airborne threats such as rockets and drones from Gaza and elsewhere. The High-Power Laser Weapon System was mounted on an aircraft with superior sensors and tracking systems, and it was used to engage several drones at different ranges and altitudes. According to Insider, a jet was equipped with a High-Power Laser Weapon System that could attack drones while both were in the air. The laser can be seen blowing holes into the drones in video footage provided on Twitter by Israel’s Ministry of Defense, forcing them to fall and burn.

The laser is intended to perform in any weather circumstances, according to Israeli Brigadier-General and head of military research Yaniv Rotem, albeit no word on how that would influence the actual targeting procedure for the laser-equipped plane’s pilots. The beam can already shoot down a drone from a distance of one kilometer, but Rotem intends to double its range in the coming years.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Ministry of Defense claims that this type of laser weapon will help it cut expenditures in its ongoing armed campaign against Palestine. Any incoming bullets are already intercepted by missiles. However, as low-cost drones grow more popular, it makes more economic sense to fire a laser rather than launch a full missile.

Picture Courtesy: Yahoo.com