Correspondent in Jerusalem
Israel successfully tested an airborne laser to shoot down drones in June.
This new weapon installed on board a small plane can also destroy rockets, shells and ballistic missiles.
A series of tests is described by the Minister of Defense and former Chief of Staff of the Army, Benny Gantz, as
"major technological breakthrough".
Read also:
Can we get out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
An Israeli and a Palestinian debate
The laser managed to shoot down several drones, at an altitude of less than 1,000 meters and within a radius of 1 kilometer, but once perfected, it could intercept, according to the Ministry of Defense, targets within a radius of 20 km .
The system uses conventional detection techniques and then fires a 100 kilowatt laser beam towards the target.
It is fully automated.
It combines, according to the Israeli army,
"a very advanced perspective with surveillance and artificial intelligence capabilities"
.
The machine could, if its dimensions are reduced, be mounted on other
This article is for subscribers only.
You have 53% left to discover.
Freedom has no borders, like your curiosity.
Continue reading your article for € 1 the first month
I ENJOY IT
Already subscribed? Log in