Video shows laser cannon shooting down unmanned aircraft
Sep 23, 2017, 6:22 PM
As time goes on, the regular use of lasers is becoming more and more of a reality.
Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Test High Energy Asset, or ATHENA, is the latest example of that.
At White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, ATHENA was put to the test, shooting not one, but five different unmanned aircraft — as shown in a video.
This ground-based system is used to demonstrate technologies for military use without spending a fortune.
For now, ATHENA can disable small rockets, artillery shells, small unmanned aerial vehicles, lightweight ground vehicles and small boats from about a mile away, but with more technological advances with lasers, the weapons will be able to take down larger vehicles and at farther distances, according to the company’s website.
Based out of Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company.
