Move over Snipers, Lasers Are Coming!

For a long time, long distance small weaponry has been ruled by snipers, but with technology advancing so fast these days, lasers are getting in on the action. Being able to attack targets on both land and air allows for more usages too and all at a much lower cost. Manufacturer Lockheed Martin has been working on a new laser, named ATHENA, which could be used to stop a vehicle without lethal force. Using fiber-optics, ATHENA can burn through the engine manifold of a truck from over a mile away.

In the test, the truck was running, but was propped up, rather than moving. Unlike Hollywood’s lasers, ATHENA simply rendered the truck immovable rather than blowing it up with gorgeous effects. Lockheed hopes this will prove to be much more useful against vehicles that might be armed with explosives, with the intent of being a mobile bomb for civilian or military structures.

Based on Lockheed’s ADAM system, lasers used to shoot down enemy rockets in mid air, ATHENA uses a technique called “spectral beam combining,” in which multiple laser modules combine into a single that is high quality and powerful. Unfortunately I doubt these will be available to the public, but how could would it be to have a mini Death Star laser for those annoying planets in your way?

Source: Engadget