Germany appears to have a new deadly weapon in its arsenal with the unveiling of a sea-based Gatling laser gun at the Security Equipment Industry Expo held in London this week.
The laser weapon is primarily designed by Rheinmetall Defence Electronics to shoot down drones from as far as 500 meters. A laser system is composed of four high energy lasers collectively, making one Gatling turret. Each laser has 20 kilowatts of power that is then concentrated through a technology called superimposition to produce a powerful 80 kilowatt beam. What is quite disturbing is that there is no limit to the amount of power produced because the superimposition technique only needs the addition of more lasers, according to Sputnik News.
Aside from blasting drones out of the sky, the laser cannon is also capable of blowing up artillery shells as well as detonating ammunition, wrecking the sensors of enemy ships, burn holes on vehicles, and, of course, killing people. It is also believed that the laser weapon could breach the stated 500-meter range. This is because a test involving a Rheinmetall laser weapon capable of 30-kilowatt power has successfully obliterated an 82-millimeter mortar in midair at a 1,000-meter distance, reported Popular Mechanics.
The laser cannon is reportedly generating immense interest from buyers around the world. This is prompted by the increasing use of drones, which are now known as a slow and small (LSS) threat in military parlance. These machines complicate the manner by which modern warfare is waged, as they create a highly unbalanced situation between between enemies, dictating the terms and outcome of battles, according to the Daily Mail.
