Laser Defense System: Air Force Shoots Down Multiple Targets In Latest Successful Test

With a successful test, the U.S. Air Force is closing in on being able to stop enemy missiles in mid-flight using a sophisticated laser machine.

The laser defense system, called Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator, or SHiELD, successfully shot down multiple air-launched missiles according to a statement from the U.S. Air Force.

Behind the laser system is a technology that the military calls ‘directed energy systems.’

This class of military device weaponizes frequencies like microwaves for both offensive and defensive purposes. Think, a mounted satellite that can fry hardware in trucks, cars and other vehicles.

‘This critical demonstration shows that our directed energy systems are on track to be a game changer for our warfighters,’ said Dr. Kelly Hammett, director of AFRL’s Directed Energy Directorate.

Similar technology mounted on ground vehicles has already been tested successfully, staving off various types and sizes of drones.

The high-power microwave laser is being developed by Raytheon and can identify, track, and disable adversarial drones.

For directed energy technology focused on defending against missiles, however, progress has been less forthcoming.

Unlike with drones, anti-missile tech, which the Air Force hopes will be able to guard against ground-to-air and air-to-air missiles, has the added responsibility of targeting and stopping an object that, in some cases, can travel up to or even faster than the speed of sound.

While the military hopes to be able to attach the technology to aircraft, giving fighter pilots a much needed tool to defend themselves against enemies, one major barrier has building the systems small enough to fit on planes.

An experimental chemical laser system being developed and explored by the U.S. Air Force was decommissioned in 2012.

From here, the Air Force says it will look to reduce the size and weight of its system with the hopes of attaching it to a plane — so far, the technology has been better suited for giant war ships due to its size restrictions.

‘The final SHiELD system, however, will be much smaller and lighter, as well as ruggedized for an airborne environment,’ said the Air Force in a statement.