Israeli Military Successfully Tests High-Power Laser That Can Shoot Down Drones Mid-Air

Upping its capabilities in the defence and aerospace technology domain, the Israeli military yesterday (21 June) said that it has successfully tested an airborne high-power laser that can shoot down drones, reports Livemint.

Developed by Israeli defence major Elbit Systems, the prototype laser was mounted on a civilian plane and it successfully shot down several drones in a recent test over the Mediterranean Sea as per the information made public by Brigadier General Yaniv Rotem, the head of military research and development at the Israeli Defence Ministry.

Rotem told the reporters that the ability to intercept and destroy threats from the air is groundbreaking. He also added that Israel is among the first countries to use such capabilities.

Now, in the coming years, Israel hopes to deploy a ground-based system with a range of 8-10 kilometres (5-6 miles) that can intercept rockets, mortar rounds and drones. In the recent test, the system had successfully shot down drones from within a range of about 1 kilometre (0.6 miles).