The US army has successfully hit an unmanned target using a high-powered laser mounted on a Apache AH-64 helicopter.
The demonstration was the first time a fully integrated laser system has successfully fired on a target from a rotary-wing aircraft, according to defence company Raytheon who manufactured the device.
The weapon is almost silent and invisible which makes it particularly hard for enemies to detect and could be used on the battlefield in the near future.
The laser, which was tested at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico successfully hit a target 0.9 miles (1.4 km) away.
The demonstration was the first time a laser was ‘fired on a target from a rotary-wing aircraft over a wide variety of flight regimes, altitudes and air speeds,’ the company said.
The laser was manufactured by Raytheon who said their device ‘provides long-range surveillance, target acquisition, tracking, range finding and laser designation’.
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