PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII — The U.S. Navy shot down an aerial drone with a solid state laser weapon during a test off Pearl Harbor on May 16, according to the Pacific Fleet.<br /><br />The exercise marked the first shot fired by the Laser Weapon System Demonstrator at sea.<br /><br />The amphibious dock Portland was selected as a test platform for the experimental weapon.<br /><br />Naval documents published by The Drive suggest the laser should include power and cooling units, other subsystems, and integration with the Aegis Combat System. <br /><br />According to the U.S. Navy Institute, the LWSD represents advancements in laser director and spectral beam combining technology, which combines multiple beams of different wavelengths into a more powerful laser.<br /><br />Additionally, the Navy is developing other lasers that will be suitable for the fleet's destroyers that lack the energy output for solid state-type weapons.<br /><br />These lasers would include hard-kill systems as well as less-than-lethal dazzlers that would dissuade approaching boats and disable surveillance platforms.
