US Military to Test Laser Weapons On Fighter Jets and Warships in 2014

The Department of Defense (DoD) may be testing out laser weapons on fighter jets by 2014, it was reported on Tuesday. The 150-kilowatt lasers, which would be used to intercept threats to U.S. fighter jets, would be 10 times smaller and lighter than current lasers, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced.

According to Scientific American, the Pentagon issued a notice of intent to General Atomics- Aeronautical Systems Incorporated on January 17. The notice called for the company to build a second laser weapon so that the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy could test it by 2014.

GlobalPost reported that there are some suggestions that the laser weapons could one day be mounted on drones. This isn't the first time that lasers have been tested by the military. According to GlobalPost, a larger laser that was fitted onto a Boeing 747 in the Airborne Laser Test Bed program was eventually scrapped. The U.S. Navy has also tested laser weapons against drones and small boats.

Past testing of lasers revealed that the new class of weapons is susceptible to loosing focus and limited effectiveness over long distances due to weather conditions, dust particles and aerosols, the Scientific American reported. 

However, enthusiasm for the new weapon reportedly remains low. During a recent series of war games held during the NeXTech Workshop at the U.S. Army War College, it was revealed that laser weapons did not make a big difference in the four scenarios discussed.