Boeing shows off weapon for destroying drones with a freaking laser

Rouge drones, meet Boeing's Compact Laser Weapons System

Boeing showed off its Compact Laser Weapons System this week. It's a portable laser weapon that can take drones out of the sky by directing a precise blast of heat energy. The weapon takes 15 minutes to set up and around 15 seconds to take down a drone.

The system consists of three main components: A 2-kilowatt fiber laser, a water-cooled chiller and a beam director, all transportable in a variety of vehicles. Weight reduction was a main goal of of Boeing, especially with the beam director, which is lighter and faster operating than its predecessors. Read more...