It seems like mankind just loves to keep finding new and better ways to kill itself. I only wonder what would have happened if we had spent all that energy, resource, brainpower, manpower, and time to solve the real problems of the world instead.
Anyways, this nature of ours is not going to change. Ever. Governments of the world are hell-bent on creating advanced weapon systems to either attack or defend themselves.
The huge variety of weapons that exist today are more than enough to ward off enemies. But there is this fear that the enemy must be creating something better and this leads everyone to keep developing in this space.
Take energy weapons for example. Until now, they have existed only in fiction and movies. Now, they are quickly becoming a reality. If these become the norm, it could cause even more destruction and havoc in the world.
US Military Tests Laser Weapon
The US Navy recently tested a powerful laser weapon system onboard the USS Portland. Reports state that the test was successful and that the laser successfully destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle.
The video of the test above is exactly what you would expect to see. The laser literally burns the target and it falls off the sky. This is something we have seen countless times in movies and tv shows.
The official name given to the laser is "Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD)". It has been developed by Northrup Grumman and allows ships to defend themselves against aerial threats posed by drones.
Currently, the laser is not too powerful to "handle" enemy fighter jets. But, given how technology progresses forward, we can expect it to advance to that level in the future.
This successful test by the US Navy could launch a full-blown global arms race. Of course, no country would like to trail behind, especially in something like this. Could this be the inflection point that makes energy weapons a thing?