For Less Than A Dollar, U.S. Can Now Zap An Enemy Missile

At a cost of less than a dollar, the U.S. Navy can now destroy an incoming multimillion-dollar missile using a device that looks like a video game console linked to a 30-kilowatt laser weapon aboard ship.

In a press conference at the Pentagon on Wednesday, Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder, the chief of naval research, announced that the new weapon officially designated Laser Weapon System (LaWS) deployed aboard the USS Ponce in the Gulf has performed beyond expectations after four months of operational testing.

"This is the first time in recorded history that a directed energy weapons system has ever deployed on anything," Klunder said, adding that the $40-million laser weapon has been fully integrated into systems aboard the USS Ponce after a year of testing.

Klunder said although the weapon has not been fired at an enemy target, it is fully battle-ready if needed. "We're not testing it any more. This is operational," he said.

In a demonstration video shown to the media, the device is shown targeting a mounted missile on a speeding boat, and then first dazzling, then destroying, an unmanned aerial drone in mid-flight.

Officials said the 30-kilowatt laser is capable of destroying targets on speeding boats or even aircraft with pinpoint accuracy.

They said that during the tests, the laser performed "flawlessly, including in adverse weather conditions."

"As a matter of fact, we've never missed," Klunder said.

"Laser weapons are powerful, affordable and will play a vital role in the future of naval combat operations," the US Navy official said.

He said one major advantage of the laser system over traditional weapons systems is its cost. The cost of firing the laser system is just the price of the electricity it takes to power the device – 59 cents per shot, he said.

In contrast, missiles launched to hit airborne or sea-based targets could cost as much as $2 million each.

The system is also easy to operate, he said. It "looks a lot like a game controller, Xbox, PS4 or whatever. Any of you that can do Xbox or PS4, you'll be good with this," Klunder added.

He said the device is still not powerful enough to destroy "frigate-sized vessels." However, a more powerful 150 kilowatt laser weapon – five times as powerful as the one mounted on the Ponce – is currently in development and is expected to be deployed on a ship by 2017. The bigger laser weapon could be widely produced and deployed on ships if it passed several tests, he added.

Officials said the deployment of laser weapons was conceived by the Pentagon amid concerns that the U.S. could lose the technological edge in the battlefield as other countries develop precision munitions, long-range missiles and other systems to counter U.S. superiority.

As a matter of fact, the U.S. Navy has been forced to operate further from the shores of unfriendly countries that have developed accurate anti-ship missiles, officials said.

Rear Admiral Bryant Fuller, deputy commander of ship design, said installing the laser system on the Ponce, including its separate power-generation system, cooling systems and control station, cost the Navy $40 million. But he said the cost would come down considerably "if we are going to mass-produce."