Navy Moves One Step Closer To Sharks With Frickin' Laser Beams

The US Navy has moved us one-step closer to sharks with freakin' laser beams on their heads this month. The Navy had a successful test of its solid sate high-energy laser from a surface ship on April 6. We have talked about Navy lasers in the past that are used to protect the ships from a variety of issues.

The test firing of the laser from a Navy ship was able to disable a small target vessel. The successful test was part of the Navy and Northrop Grumman at-sea testing regime of the Maritime Laser Demonstrator (MLD) and validated the lasers ability to provide self-defense for ships and personnel from small boat threats.

The test was conducted off the coast of Central California in the Navy's Pacific Ocean test range. The test laser was mounted on the deck of the Navy self-defense test ship the USS Paul Foster (DD 964). "This is the first time a HEL, at these power levels, has been put on a Navy ship, powered from that ship and used to defeat a target at-range in a maritime environment," said Peter Morrison, program officer for ONR's MLD.

[via ONR]