North Korea has tested a new type of missile over the weekend, designed to penetrate enemy air defenses and, worryingly, could be nuclear capable. The unnamed cruise missile, which resembles the United States Navy's Tomahawk cruise missile, is designed to fly under cover of enemy radar systems and can reportedly strike American military bases in both South Korea as in Japan.
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North Korea's state newspaper Rodong Sinmun reports that the tests were carried out on September 11 and 12. He referred to the missiles as "strategic weapons," a common allusion to nuclear-capable weapons systems. The development took two years, according to Rodong Sinmun, and North Korean officials and scientists carried out "detailed tests of missile parts, dozens of engine thrust tests on the ground, various flight tests, control and guidance tests, warhead power tests, etc."
The US Office of Naval Research recently ordered the creation of a "compact and portable" laser weapons system, according to a Defense Department contract notice filed in August. In other words, you are basically financing a real ray gun. The Navy will use the weapon, known as the Counter-Unmanned Air Systems high-energy laser weapon system (or C-UAS HELWS for short), to shoot down drones.
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Albuquerque, New Mexico-based MZA Associates Corporation will "design, develop, deliver, integrate, test and demonstrate" C-UAS HELWS with existing commercial components, under the $ 18.7 million contract, first discovered by Forbes. Development will take place between Albuquerque and Dayton, Ohio, and should be completed between 2023 and 2025.
Although still a far cry from the handheld ray guns popularized in science fiction, C-UAS HELWS illustrate a trend in laser weapon miniaturization, made possible by government-funded research and development.
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