Directed-energy weapon
A directed-energy weapon (DEW) emits highly focused energy, transferring that energy to a target to damage it.
Potential applications of this technology include anti-personnel weapon systems, potential missile defense system, and the disabling of lightly armored vehicles such as cars, drones, jet skis, and electronic devices such as mobile phones.
The energy can come in various forms:
Electromagnetic radiation, including radio frequency, microwave, lasers and masers
Particles with mass, in particle-beam weapons
Sound, in sonic weapons
Operational advantages
Laser weapons could have several main advantages over conventional weaponry:
DEWs can be used discreetly as radiation above and below the visible spectrum is invisible.
Laser beams travel at the speed of light, so evading an accurately aimed laser after it has been fired is impossible. Consequently, there is no need to compensate for target movement (except over extremely long distances).
Light is only very slightly affected by gravity, so that long-range projection requires virtually no compensation. Other aspects such as wind speed can be neglected at most times, unless shooting through an absorptive matter.
