US Army's Laser Gun Can Blast Enemy Drones: How It Works

or the U.S. military, laser guns aren't sci-fi tech; they're a reality.

In its most recent test, a 10-kilowatt laser gun developed by Boeing for the U.S. Army shot down more than 150 drones, rockets and other mock enemy targets, according to Boeing officials. Known as the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD), the weapon uses directed beams of energy to destroy its targets in midair.

To destroy an incoming small bomb or mortar round, the laser shoots it with a beam of energy that measures less than an inch (2.5 centimeters) across, according to Barry Crow, a Boeing engineer who works on the HEL MD project. This dime-size beam can hit a target that is miles away.