US to deploy laser weapon on warship in 2014

In this Feb. 24, 2012 photo provided by the US Navy, a high-speed camera captures the first full-energy shots from an electromagnetic launcher at a test facility in Dahlgren, Va.

The US Navy is prepared to deploy its first laser weapon on a warship for the first time later this year, a new option for replacing missiles and smart bombs with the advanced system.

The Navy also planned to test an electromagnetic rail gun prototype aboard a vessel within two years.
The laser weapons can be fired continuously and they won’t run out like missiles and bombs.

"It fundamentally changes the way we fight," Capt. Mike Ziv, program manager for directed energy and electric weapon systems for the Naval Sea Systems Command, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

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