Tuesday, December 25, 2012

German laser weapon can shoot a drone out of the sky

OFF THE WIRE
Drones beware: Germany's ready for you, and it's using lasers. The German weapons firm Rheinmetall has developed a two-part laser system than can shoot a drone out of the sky or even hit a mortar round mid-air before it's had a chance to explode. The machine fires a 30 kW primary laser and a 20 kW secondary laser that can slice through a steel girder at about 1,000 yards. The machine doesn't look too intimidating, though. It strongly resembles your average gas grill, so you can assume it's capable of burning a steak as well. [Source]

Product shot of the German laser cannon (Courtesy rheinmetall-defence.com)