US Sends 4 Stryker Vehicles With 50KW Laser Weapons to Middle East for Testing - Reports

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States sent the first four Stryker combat vehicles equipped with 50-kilowatt laser weapons to the Middle East for a test run in a real-world environment, Breaking Defense reported on Friday, citing US Army Vice Chief of Staff James Mingus.

The US Army sent the prototypes of Stryker vehicles with laser weapons in early February to test them in dusty conditions of the Middle East, the report said.

The US Central Command has begun initial testing activities, but not real-fight exploitation, the report cited Mingus as saying. However, Mingus said it may take several months to process test observations necessary for acquisition decisions, the report said.

Mingus noted that the weapon system is a prototype and the United States wants to experiment in a live environment, the report cited. Mingus also pointed out that the system is not 100% ready and will probably not work perfectly, but the US military will learn from it, the report said.

Testing the 50-kilowatt laser will allow the US Army to decide whether this laser class is suitable for such conditions, or whether it is better to install a 28-kilowatt option, the report said.

Mingus emphasized that the US high-energy lasers are very susceptible to weather and that is why the effort will be a great laboratory, as dust storms and other changes alter the physics of the light particles that actually shoot the beam, the report said.