14 DAY TRIAL // Lockheed Martin, an American company that creates high-energy weapons for the armed forces of the near future, has carried out tests of its prototype laser system called Area Defense Anti-Munitions (ADAM) against maritime targets, and a video of the successful operation has been uploaded on the company's YouTube channel.
After demonstrating its ability to track, target, and destroy rockets and drones, Lockheed has successfully used the 30-kilowatt electric fiber laser to target sea threats. In the clip embedded below, you can see how ADAM is wielded to burn holes through a small boat's multiple-layer rubber frame in the waters off the California coast.
Although the test is not as spectacular as the one in which ADAM takes out a “Qassam-like” rocket (also embedded below), it does demonstrate that the laser system may also be used effectively against waterborne targets.
According to the company's news release, the innovative weapon can precisely track moving targets at a range of more than 5 kilometers (3.1 miles), and could eventually be mounted on jets, tanks and fighter planes.
“Our ADAM system tests have shown that high-energy lasers are ready to begin addressing critical defense needs. Putting revolutionary technologies to work in practical applications is a hallmark of innovation at Lockheed Martin,” said Tory Bruno , president of Strategic and Missile Defense Systems at Lockheed Martin.
