[Wino]

Laser beams shooting down missles? Just like star wars!

By Jim Wolf WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A high-powered laser aboard a modified Boeing Co 747 jumbo jet shot down an in-flight ballistic missile for the first time, highlighting a new class of ray guns best known from science fiction.The flying laser's long-awaited test on Thursday showcased a potential to zap multiple targets at the speed of light and at a range of hundreds of kilometers, the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said in a statement.

"The Missile Defense Agency demonstrated the potential use of directed energy to defend against ballistic missiles when the Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB) successfully destroyed a boosting ballistic missile," the agency said.

"The revolutionary use of directed energy is very attractive for missile defense," the statement added.
Flying laser zaps missile in first for U.S. - Yahoo! News--