US Navy unveils Laser Weapon System capable of destroying speeding boats, aircraft

The US Navy showed off a ship-mounted laser weapon system in the Persian Gulf, off the coast of Iran, that can easily aim for and destroy targets on speeding boats as well as aircraft.

According to The Guardian, the laser weapon is 30 kilowatts in power, which makes it 30m times more powerful than a hand-held laser pointer.

The "Laser Weapon System, or LaWS" can operate on lower power to "dazzle" targets, disrupting or damaging sensors and instruments.

It can also run at full power to completely destroy targets.

Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder, the chief of naval research, said at a press conference that the Navy was done testing the weapon and that the laser system was now working.

A release from the navy said that sailors working with the LaWS said that it has performed "flawlessly, including in adverse weather conditions" and that it has exceeded expectations for reliability, the report added.