ATHENA (Advanced Test High Energy Asset) is the latest innovation from Lockheed Martin, essentially a badass fiber-optic laser weapon system.
During a recent field test, ATHENA reportedly took out a small truck from more than a mile away, which is pretty darn impressive.
Lockheed Martin’s new laser utilizes “spectral beam combining,” which encompasses merging multiple laser modules to create a single and ultra-powerful 30-kilowatt laser beam.
ATHENA has the “highest power ever documented by a laser weapon of its type,” and can easily disable a truck’s engine in seconds.
The recent successful ATHENA test “represents the next step to providing lightweight and rugged laser weapon systems for military aircraft, helicopters, ships and trucks,” said Keoki Jackson, chief technology officer of Lockheed Martin.
