The laser machine Lockheed Martin can stop large cars a mile away

In the United States, the development of laser weapons is being actively pursued - both ground installations and installations for naval warships or even aircraft. The other day, Lockheed Martin demonstrated the work of a ground-based laser system capable of destroying a truck engine one mile away (1.6 km).



To test a small truck was fixed on a special platform, while the engine of the truck worked. After the system spotted the car, it took only a few seconds, and a powerful laser beam (30 kW) hit the car engine. In this case, the motor stopped working.



According to the company, now Lockheed Martin is actively investing in the development of lasers, we are talking about a fiber-optic variety of such facilities. The current installation is a prototype of a fiber-optic laser weapon, where several laser modules are combined to form a powerful beam. At the same time, the beam power is three times higher than that of other laser installations (basically, it is about 10 kW).

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The system was named ATHENA, it is based on the ADAM protective laser system, with an updated high-power laser setup. The ADAM system itself is protective, it is equipped with a 10 kW laser machine, which serves to destroy missiles and UAVs.



A 30 kW laser machine was manufactured at Lockheed Martin, Sunnyvale, California.



ATHENA-type installations can be effective as protective objects at military bases.