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Technology

The US Army is building the most powerful laser weapon in the world

By David Hambling

19 February 2021

Laser weapon

The US Navy has deployed laser weapons

John F. Williams/U.S. Navy

The US Army is building a laser weapon more than a million times more powerful than any used before – although because it delivers short pulses, the overall energy involved is low.

Existing laser weapons produce a continuous beam that is held on a target, such as a drone or missile, until it melts – the first was deployed by the US Navy in 2014. The new weapon, known as the , would be more like science-fiction movie lasers, firing bullet-like pulses of light.…

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