Tuesday, March 22, 2016

The Navy's Laser Arms Race Is Getting Started

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SEES A DAY WHEN AMERICAN NAVY DESTROYERS WILL PACK LASER CANNONS. IMAGE SOURCE: NORTHROP GRUMMAN.

Motley Fool: Don't Look Now, But the Navy's Laser Arms Race Just Got Hotter

German defense conglomerate Rheinmetall is making a strong push into this futuristic weapons game. But should it have a future in your portfolio?

Two years ago, the U.S. Navy tested its new Laser Weapon System -- a $40 million, 33 kilowatt prototype built by Kratos Defense & Security -- off the coast of Iran.

Two months ago, Northrop Grumman won a Navy contract to build a new laser cannon that will make Kratos's weapon look like a pop-gun. With a $91 million development budget behind it, Northrop's Laser Weapon System Demonstrator will kick out 150 kilowatts of blazing firepower -- enough juice to fry a cruise missile from several miles away.

But don't look now -- those U.S. companies aren't the only ones developing serious laser cannons.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: It always amazes me that what was science fiction years ago .... is reality today.

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