21st Century Wire says…
The folly of science fiction is quickly becoming science fact.
Watch a video of this report here:
.
The U.S. government has given permission to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA for short, to begin field testing its High-Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS).
Program manager Rich Bagnell said the solid-state laser has ‘unprecedented power and beam quality for its size‘. The HELLADS system is primarily intended for use as an aircraft defence system against surface-to-air missiles; which DARPA say ‘have become increasingly sophisticated’.
BAE Systems’ Mantis Drone (Robert Frola)
The laser system would track and destroy missiles in-flight by focusing an intense amount of energy onto them, causing the ordnance to explode before it reaches its target.
DARPA believes the HELLADS system could also ‘provide additional capability for offensive missions as well—adding precise targeting with low probability of collateral damage‘. However, it ‘must be made smaller and lighter than currently possible’ to be implemented offensively.
RT reports that ‘the goal of the HELLADS project is to build a laser with 150 kilowatts of power, weighing under 750 kilograms, and with a size less than 3 cubic meters’.
The official image depicting the laser system (DARPA)
One system meeting these requirements is the HEL Generation 3 system, which developers are hoping ‘can be mounted on GA-ASI’s new Avenger drone’. This drone’s jet engine produces enough energy to continuously recharge the laser system in-flight, giving it limitless ammunition.
With the military industrial complex actively seeking Presidential candidates that will pursue a ‘strong foreign policy’, we are likely to see the continuation and expansion of similar projects for years to come.
Follow us here: http://twitter.com/21WIRE
Starwars one step closer: DARPA’s ‘death ray’ to begin field tests
.
RT
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has received government permission to field test its HELLADS laser weapon system.
“The technical hurdles were daunting, but it is extremely gratifying to have produced a new type of solid-state laser with unprecedented power and beam quality for its size,” DARPA program manager Rich Bagnell said in a statement cited by the agency’s website. The testing is set to start this summer.
High-Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS) has been in development since 2003. It is intended for use as a protection system for aircraft…
Continue reading the full story on RT
READ MORE ON DRONES: 21st Century Wire Drone Files
