Raytheon Unveils a Drone-Killing, Laser-Firing Dune Buggy
WiredThe point of the dune buggy setup is to have it be able to race into spots like forward-operating bases or convoy stopovers. The benefit of laser tech over mechanical and kinetic countermeasures like missiles, firearms, or snares in drone-hunting is that the laser can easily track the target and move the beam even as it's firing. Raytheon’s trick here is making a smaller, less powerful but still effective laser, one it can run from small ground vehicles that offer limited power resources. The stock version of the military ride comes with an 88-horsepower engine and can reach up to 60 mph, though Raytheon hasn’t said how much the laser system weighs, whether it has messed with the powertrain, or how the extra load might limit the vehicle’s capability. Though a relatively modest application compared to, say, shooting lasers from Apache helicopters swooping into battlefields, the whole setup—dubbed the HELWS MRZR, based on the high-energy laser configuration and the name of the buggy—is indicative of how Raytheon sees the future of warfare.
History of this topic
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