It has been revealed that the US army plan to invest $3.1m into Laser Guided Energy (LGE) devices. The technology which is being touted in the weapons arena is able to send a controlled electric charge of previously determined voltage through the air following a laser guide. Applied Energetics, the firm behind the LGE technology have said that weapon possibilities would have “a range of effects” on “a variety of targets,” and have suggested that it could be used particularly for exploding roadside bombs from a safe and controlled distance.
Applied Energetics added that accidental injury and collateral damage would be limited due to the confines of the technology. Described as “man-made lightning”, a pulse laser forms a channel in the air that the beam of “manageable lethality” travels through. Already having supplied the army with prototypes such as a compact laser system to showcase the technology and another product for field testing, the process is already well underway. The announcement by the US Army’s Research Development and Engineering Command (ARDEC) explained that the additional millions into the technology would be used to bring LGE to the battlefield.
ARDEC’s chief of Advanced Energy Armaments Ben Lagasca said “The US Army has been involved with the development of LGE for the past 5 years. Now the technology is approaching the level of maturity needed to begin weaponisation. You’ll be pleased to hear that man-made lightning isn’t just about blowing things up. Applied Energetics claims that its high-voltage technologies also ‘offer opportunities outside of warfare in the fields of aerospace, medicine, science, transportation and green energy.’”
