US tests laser weapons system in Persian Gulf

The US Navy tested the Laser Weapons System (LaWS) in the Persian Gulf, media reported.

The LaWS system, which is capable of moving at the speed of light and is 50,000 times faster than the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), was deployed on board the USS Ponce transport ship.

"It is more precise than a bullet… It's not a niche weapon system like some other weapons that we have throughout the military where it's only good against air contacts, or it's only good against surface targets, or it's only good against, you know, ground-based targets — in this case this is a very versatile weapon, it can be used against a variety of targets," CNN cited the ship captain Christopher Wells as saying.

The test was carried out with the help of a drone serving as a target, while the weapons team focused the system on it and shot, what destroyed the aircraft by heating to a temperature of thousands of degrees, the broadcaster specified.

Lt. Cale Hughes, laser weapons system officer, told the broadcaster that the LaWS operated within an invisible part of the electromagnetic spectrum, being absolutely silent and "incredibly effective at what it does."