Weapons

US ARMY DOUBLES DOWN ON DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS

The US Army really, really wants to add directed energy weapons — laser cannons, essentially — to its arsenal.

Army officials just awarded contracts to weapons developers Northrop Grumman and Raytheon to develop directed-energy weapons to attach to the tank-like Stryker combat vehicle, according to Defense News. The Army wants lasers to disable drones, rockets, and vehicles — a sign of the high-tech turn modern warfare has taken.

“The time is now to get directed energy weapons to the battlefield,” Lt. Gen. L. Neil Thurgood, director of directed energy development, said in a statement reviewed by Defense News. “The Army recognizes the need for directed energy lasers as part of the Army’s modernization plan. This is no longer a research effort or a demonstration effort. It is a strategic combat capability, and we are on the right path to get it in soldiers’ hands.”