US Navy to test laser cannon in Persian Gulf

The US Navy plans to test a laser cannon developed to shoot down drones and disable small boats, the Navy said Monday, DPA reported.

The test will take place within eight months on a US ship deployed in the Persian Gulf, the Navy Times said. The Navy released a video of tests that already have been carried out, showing the laser's beam downing low-flying drones and destroying small boats.

The announcement seemed to warn Iran not to step up activity in the gulf if tensions increase because of sanctions and negotations over the Iranian nuclear programme, The New York Times said.

The laser cannon is covered by a giant white pod that shrouds the laser mount and generators to power it, according to the Navy Times description.

The chief of naval research, Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder, did not specify the laser's range, beam power or its effectiveness against other targets, saying only they had been shot down at "mission-relevant ranges."

Unlike the laser beams seen in Hollywood movies, the Navy's laser is infrared and can't be seen by the naked eye.

The Navy has spent an estimated 40 million dollars developing the system over the past six years and each system mounted on a ship is expected to cost 38 million dollars. Klunder said, however, that each shot, or "pulse," costs less than a dollar.

A study for Congress by the Congressional Research Service said the weapon offered historic opportunities for the Navy. It said laser cannons could lead to changes in naval tactics, ship design and procurement plans that could result in a technological shift for the Navy comparable to the advent of shipboard missiles in the 1950s.