Laser weapon passes biggest test: shoot down long-range missile
The Nautilus Tactical High Energy Laser, seen in this photo taken during an earlier test, shot down its biggest rocket yet during a test this week, U.S. and Israeli military spokesmen say.
JERUSALEM - A laser weapon under joint Israeli-U.S. development destroyed a long-range rocket for the first time in a test in the skies over New Mexico, military spokesmen said Friday.
Israel has sought an effective defense against ballistic missiles since 1991 when Iraq launched Scuds into the Jewish state during the first Gulf War. It has since developed the Arrow anti-ballistic missile with U.S. funding.
“This is a significant step forward,” an Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman said of Tuesday's test of the Nautilus Tactical High Energy Laser, conducted at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Israel sees the Nautilus as another potential countermeasure to possible ballistic attack by enemies, which would include most Arab states and Iran. In turn, those nations see Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal as the biggest strategic threat to the region....