Boeing’s Advanced Tactical Laser Scores a Frag
By Jared Newman
Boeing has just done something excellent: It flew an airplane over the deserts of New Mexico, pointed a laser at an unspecified ground target and blew it the heck up. That marked the first ground target to be zapped by the so-called Advanced Tactical Laser, a force whose 5-second burst of energy is strong enough to power a home for an hour. At the core of this laser is a collection of chemicals, including potassium, peroxide, chlorine and iodine, blasted out at supersonic speeds. In most cases, the target simply melts and becomes useless, but as NetworkWorld points out, missiles tend to explode in the laser’s wake. Awesome. [NetworkWorld via Engadget]
