Admiral: Navy Laser Weapons Just 2 Years Away

Whoever wins the upcoming presidential election, by halfway through the new term the Commander-in-Chief could be wielding a new weapon straight out of science fiction: laser cannons.

That’s how close the U.S. Navy is to being able to field the first generation of “directed energy” weapons aboard ships, according to Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder, the chief of the Office of Naval Research. Klunder made the claim Monday to WIRED.com’s Danger Room, which has been following the development of the futuristic laser arsenal.

Earlier this year Klunder’s office had said the Navy was four years away from mounting the laser weapons, but he told WIRED Monday that recent tests had been “very successful” and the Navy has figured out physics issues that plagued early concepts.

More - Link >>> http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/10/navys-laser-weapons-just-2-years-away-admiral-says/

Sources: Wired Magazine, ABC News.

Related Blog Post --

Anti-Rocket Truck-Mounted Laser to be Tested in 2013 (2012 Oct. 7)

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/10/anti-rocket-truck-mounted-laser-to-be.html

 
October 24 marks 73rd anniversary of dedication of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science: Link >>> http://www.planetarium.cc

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