December 31, 2021
The US Navy says it has successfully tested a laser weapon and destroyed a floating target in the Mideast.
The December 14 test saw the USS Portland test-fire its Laser Weapon System Demonstrator at the target in the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia.
The Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet described the laser as having “successfully engaged” the target. Previously, the Portland used the laser to bring down a flying drone in May 2020.
The weapon was portrayed as a potential threat against drone boats that have been launched in the Red Sea by the Yemeni rebel Houthis. But the laser weapon may also pose a threat to Pasdar speedboats operating in the Persian Gulf.
The Houthis have deployed drone boats that can be piloted remotely and sent up to a target before detonating. These boats are suspected of being built with Iran’s help.
Emirati officials in 2018 showed off footage they described as coming from a drone boat computer that had Iranians building components for the boat’s guidance system, with a hat visible in the background of one picture bearing the logo of the Pasdaran. Iran has denied arming the Houthis, though United Nations experts, independent analysts and Western nations point to evidence showing Tehran’s link to the weapons.