The Laser Weapon System temporarily installed aboard the
guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey in San Diego, Calif., in this July
2012 photo. (AP Photo/US Navy, John F. Williams)
.
By DAVID SHARP
BATH,
Maine (AP) — Some of the Navy's newest weapons sound like something out
of "Star Wars," with lasers designed to shoot down drones and electric
guns that fire projectiles at hypersonic speeds.
But the future is now.
The
Navy plans to deploy a laser prototype on a ship this summer in the
Persian Gulf. It intends to test an electromagnetic rail gun prototype
aboard a vessel within two years.
Part of the appeal is the cost. They're far cheaper than missiles and smart bombs.
Capt.
Mike Ziv, program manager for directed energy and electric weapon
systems, says new technology can help the Navy "get ahead of the cost
curve."
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Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
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