( Wired ) -- For years , the U.S. Navy has been pursuing a workable ray gun that could provide a leap ahead in ship self-defenses . Now , with a series of tests of a system called the Laser Weapon System , or LaWS ) , it may be one step closer to that goal . Naval Sea Systems Command ( NAVSEA ) , the service 's technology development arm , announced today that LaWS had `` successfully tracked , engaged , and destroyed '' a drone in flight , during an over-the-water engagement at San Nicholas Island , California . It 's certainly not the first time lasers have shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle -- last year , the Air Force zapped several drones with beam weapons in a series of tests at China Lake , California , -- but this test brings an additional bit of realism -- and an extra technical challenge . Laser beams can lose strength as they move through the moist , salty sea atmosphere above the sea , so the Navy needs directed-energy weapons that can work effectively on ships . The LaWS is essentially a laser upgrade to the MK 15 Close In Weapon System ( CIWS ) , a.k.a . the Phalanx gun , a radar-guided autocannon that is already installed on Navy surface combatants . According to NAVSEA , the system tested ( shown here ) fired a laser through a beam director installed on a tracking mount , which in turn was controlled by a Mk 15 CIWS . That 's the basically same system that controls the Phalanx . It represents a possible next step for the Phalanx system , which is currently limited by the range of its 20mm autocannon ( Raytheon , manufacturer of the Phalanx , is also marketing a missile system to replace the gun ) . The Phalanx is a last line of defense against sea-skimming anti-ship missiles and hostile aircraft , but the laser would n't replace the gun completely . Theoretically , directed energy weapons would increase the range of the system , but you would still have the gun as a backup if the laser fails to do the job . LaWS might also have other applications : land-based Phalanx guns have been used to shoot down incoming rockets and mortars in Iraq and Afghanistan , and a laser Phalanx could -- theoretically -- avoid the problem of the `` 20mm shower '' ( unexploded rounds falling back to earth ) . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2011 Wired.com .
U.S. Navy is one step closer to a workable ray gun with the Laser Weapon System . LaWS has `` successfully tracked , engaged , and destroyed '' a drone in flight . The laser beam can be directed at targets from up to 100 miles away using an array of lasers mounted on ships or planes.