Weapons

U.S. Navy Ships Will Deploy Laser Weapons Within Two Years

The U.S. Navy will deploy a new laser weapon system on its ships within the next two years, according to a naval official.

“We’re doing a lot more with lasers,” Rear Adm. Ronald Boxall, director of the Surface Warfare Division, said earlier this month at the annual Surface Naval Association national symposium, according to Scout Warrior.

Boxall said the Navy plans to test a 150-kilowatt weapon from a ship within a year, and to deploy that weapon on a carrier or destroyer a year later.

The weapon will destroy incoming missiles, drones, aircraft, and other threats from the enemy.