After a Few Hitches, Army Laser Shoots Down Two Rockets Simultaneously

By Dan Dupont / August 29, 2000 at 5:00 AM
The Army's Tactical High Energy Laser system last night successfully shot down two Katyusha rockets during the same test, according to service sources. The multiple-rocket shootdown, which occurred at 5:32 p.m. Mountain Standard Time at White Sands Missile Range, NM, is a first for a U.S. laser weapon. Earlier this year, the THEL demonstrator shot down a single rocket. The two Katyushas were launched simultaneously and traveled approximately 330 meters per second along a 16-kilometer trajectory, sources said. The THEL...

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