Using a high-energy laser weapon developed by TRW Inc., the U.S. Army said it shot down an artillery shell in flight on November 4, 2002 for the first time ever in a test over New Mexico. The Army and TRW said in a joint announcement that the laser tracke
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army used a high-energy laser to shoot down an artillery shell in mid-flight on Tuesday in a defense industry breakthrough, the Army and the manufacturer said.
The Army and TRW Inc, which developed the weapon, said in a joint statement that the laser tracked, locked onto and fired a burst of concentrated light energy photons at the speeding shell over the White Sands test range in New Mexico.
"Seconds later, at a point well short of its intended destination, the projectile was destroyed," the Army's Space and Missile Defense Command said.
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