For the first time, the US Navy has tested laser weapons designed to engage floating targets. Testing took place in December in the Middle East. Writes about this Associated Press.
Laser weapons successfully destroyed a floating target and demonstrated the combat potential of such systems that form the basis of a new generation of weapons.
According to AP reports, the USS Portland, an amphibious transport dock, fired at a small floating target with its Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD). According to the statement, the laser “successfully hit” the target.
Such a system could repel an attack by bomb-armed drone boats being sent by Yemeni Houthi rebels into the Red Sea. Since the Houthi rebels took over the Yemeni capital in 2014, the region has been embroiled in a bloody war and has also changed the dynamics of fighting around the world.
The LWSD is the successor to the Laser Weapon System (LaWS) that the US Navy has been testing for several years. Last year, LSWD managed to shoot down a drone during similar tests in the Pacific Ocean.
It is noted that Iran is helping the Yemeni Houthis in the deployment of controlled unmanned boats, in addition, the region is also located near the Suez Canal, one of the most important waterways for international trade.
