Today, lasers are everywhere. They are used for surgeries, for reading your CDs, in light shows, and in metal work. Now there are lasers that can even shoot down rocket ships! The global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin has successfully tested a high-energy laser that can destroy a Qassam-like rocket from 0.9 miles away.
Laser destroying the Qassam-like rocket from almost a mile away. (Image via Lockheed Martin)
Since the Area Defense Anti-Munitions (ADAM) system began testing in March, it has already destroyed eight small-caliber rocket targets in flight.
Why develop ADAM?
Lockheed Martin has developed the technology as a defense against short-range threats such as Qassam rockets (first introduced in 2001), unmanned aerial systems, and boats.
Watch as the ground-based laser system destroys a free-flying rocket.
“Our test results demonstrate the capabilities of the ADAM system to provide a practical, affordable directed-energy solution to the real-world problem of close-in threats,” said Tory Bruno, president of Strategic and Missile Defense Systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.
How ADAM works
Area Defense Anti-Munitions (ADAM) system. (Image via Lockheed Martin)
The ADAM system uses a 10-kilowatt fiber laser with the ability to destroy targets up to 1.2 miles away. The prototype consists of a tracking system with a range of over three miles in order to pursue targets in chaotic environments.
ADAM is being designed to attach as either a standalone system or a manned system that waits for an external signal. It has also been designed to mount on a trailer which allows for easy transportation.
Learn more at Lockheed Martin.
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