14 DAY TRIAL // Ok, now don't think that I like wars and guns, but this is too good at least from one perspective. Since I (and perhaps many of you, too) grew up with Star Wars, I've always dreamed to see laser weapons, light sabers and flying robots. And it seems that the technology has evolved enough for us to get busy and build our first laser weapons.
Seriously speaking, this is too good. Northrop Grumman Corp. Tuesday opened the first U.S. production factory where they will produce high-energy laser weapons. They say that laser-based weapons are cheaper to operate than high-end missile launchers and that they will also be easier to work with.
"We see this capability emerging very quickly. The government is moving in this direction. We're positioning ourselves to be ready when they want more capability," Mike McVey, president of Northrop's directed energy systems business, stated earlier.
"Powerful military lasers, with their speed-of-light targeting capabilities and cost-effective operation, have the potential to transform the way we equip our armed forces defending our country abroad and protecting it at home against terrorist threats," said Alexis Livanos, president of Northrop Grumman's Space Technology sector.
There are several advantages when you use laser weapons, but perhaps one of the best things about them is that they can fire indefinitely. "As long as you have fuel, you never run out of bullets ... You can keep firing," said McVey.
Northrop said it obtained a U.S. marketing license for a defense system called Skyguard. The system will use lasers in order to shield the airport and other installations from rockets, ballistic missiles and other forms of weapon aggression. Skyguard is said to generate a shield of five kilometers in radius. We don't know what the term "shield" means in this statement, but we can say that it will cost $25 million to $30 million to produce and install it.