US Army will use laser weapon to shoot down missiles

The US armed forces have announced a contest to develop a laser defense system, with the winner receiving a government contract from the US Army.

Сruise missiles are still extremely dangerous for strategic infrastructure areas, despite the active development of defense technologies. The main issue is that anti-aircraft guns aren’t always fast enough in detecting enemy rockets and shooting them down. 

The US Army can get these new weapons thanks to a contest announced by the Strategic Development Planning & Experimentation Office (SDPE) of the US Air Force. The Army has high hopes for laser weapons, which will have higher efficiency thanks to laser speed and accuracy. 

The Air Force is hoping to receive a system that will be easily integrated into existing missile defense systems, including fire-control radars and the command and management infrastructure. 

‘We strongly support the use of systems that do not require high maintenance costs, while offering high security and minimal requirements towards auxiliary equipment’ - SDPE announced.  

The company that wins the tender will have to release a working model of an anti-missile laser complex by 2020, and they will have to start supplying the air-defense units of the Air Force in the next couple of years.