Laser Canon Destroys Boat - US Navy Test

US Navy and Office of Naval Research (ONR) conducted a test for a laser weapon. A high-energy laser fired from the USS Paul Foster hit a motorboat with a 15-kilowatt (kW) pulse from a solid-state high-energy laser (HEL).

Despite waves and high humidity which degrades laser output, the laser equipped warship successfully crippled a smaller boat by burning through its engine and igniting it. According to ONR, this is an important step toward mounting high-energy lasers on ships as weapons.

High-Energy Laser Canon (HEL)