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| Laser gun: US Navy unveils new weapon with video showing speedboat explosion | Laser gun: US Navy unveils new weapon with video showing speedboat explosion |
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| The US Navy has announced that a new laser weapon it tested earlier this year was a success, and has released footage of the machine in action. | The US Navy has announced that a new laser weapon it tested earlier this year was a success, and has released footage of the machine in action. |
| A video of the laser weapon system (Laws) released by the Office of Naval Research was deployed aboard USS Ponce in September in the Persian Gulf. | A video of the laser weapon system (Laws) released by the Office of Naval Research was deployed aboard USS Ponce in September in the Persian Gulf. |
| The video shows the weapon against two test targets, including a speedboat which bursts into flames. Other targets were located at sea and in the air, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). | The video shows the weapon against two test targets, including a speedboat which bursts into flames. Other targets were located at sea and in the air, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). |
| Rear Adm. Matthew L. Klunder, chief of naval research, said in a statement on Wednesday that the “powerful” laws will “play a vital role in the future of naval combat operations”, the Daily Caller reported. | Rear Adm. Matthew L. Klunder, chief of naval research, said in a statement on Wednesday that the “powerful” laws will “play a vital role in the future of naval combat operations”, the Daily Caller reported. |
| The prototype weapon in the video, which is operated using a video-game like controller and cost $40 million to produce, dealt with a “tough” pace, adverse weather conditions including a sandstorm, and destroyed targets” with “near-instantaneous lethality.” | The prototype weapon in the video, which is operated using a video-game like controller and cost $40 million to produce, dealt with a “tough” pace, adverse weather conditions including a sandstorm, and destroyed targets” with “near-instantaneous lethality.” |
| The weapon, which was installed on Ponce over the summer, has been in development for years, according to Navy officials. | The weapon, which was installed on Ponce over the summer, has been in development for years, according to Navy officials. |
| He also acknowledged that it took a while to get the rules of engagement needed to use the gun approved in the Pentagon. But now, the captain of the Ponce could use it against a real threat if required, he said. | He also acknowledged that it took a while to get the rules of engagement needed to use the gun approved in the Pentagon. But now, the captain of the Ponce could use it against a real threat if required, he said. |
| Klunder did not give details on the range of laws but did say that humans were not a target of the weapon, under stipulations of the Geneva Conventions upon which he did not elaborate. | Klunder did not give details on the range of laws but did say that humans were not a target of the weapon, under stipulations of the Geneva Conventions upon which he did not elaborate. |