US Navy tests laser weapons

 

The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet reported that the US Army had conducted a test shot of a laser weapon in the Gulf of Aden.

The shot was fired from the USS Portland (LPD 27) at a fixed target.

Solid-state laser weapons tests (Solid-state Laser Weapon System Display Device, LWSD) were conducted on May 16, 2020 in the neutral waters of the Pacific Ocean. During the exercise, the drone was neutralized with a laser – the footage shows how the drone ignites in the air after being exposed to the laser.

Images and videos provided by the US Navy show that USS Portland is carrying a “system-first high-energy solid-state laser” with a capacity of approximately 150 kilowatts.