Advertisement

Raytheon's laser and microwave buggy test brought down 45 drones

The word 'buggy' makes it sound less cool than it is.

This week, Raytheon announced it successfully tested its anti-drone technology. The advanced high-power microwave and laser dune buggy brought down 45 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones at a U.S. Army exercise that was held in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

The microwave system was able to bring down multiple UAVs at once when the devices swarmed, while the high energy laser (HEL) was able to identify and shoot down 12 Class I and II UAVs, as well as six different stationary devices that propelled mortar rounds. The equipment is intended to protect US troops against drones; it's self-contained and easy to deploy in a tense situation. The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory worked with Raytheon to develop this counter-drone and UAV tech.