The technologies involving laser caught the attention of many scientists from various domains. Now, the Navy is trying to equip their battleships with weapons based on laser technology. This can be possible if it were to rely on a project made in 2004 by the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility which designed a Free Electron Laser that generates 10,000 watts of power.
Now, the Navy allocated $163 million for five-years and they hope to get a laser weapon capable of producing 100 kilowatts of power. FEL was nicknamed the “Holy Grail” of lasers because it uses a different technique which sends electrons and photons on various wavelengths for a long time. The other types of laser are losing their strength because of climatic conditions like moisture.
If the project will not be a success, the Navy has a cover - they demanded some defense contractors to come up with a energy weapon concept until 2014. As soon as they receive some good news about the 100 kilowatts FEL, they will install it on a ship and begin testing. We hope that they will use it only for defense because lasers might provide huge amount of power.
