LASER ON WHEELS
One example of battlefield laser technology that the industry has high hopes for is the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD). Essentially a giant truck with a laser on its back, it has been in development since 2011. In 2013 it shot down several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS) in flight as well as more than 90 mortar rounds at the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility located at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. It fired a ten-kilowatt laser in that test, but future plans include tests with a 50 and then 100-kilowatt laser – this means it could engage cruise missiles, rockets and even artillery.