The American military wants to use laser beams to dispose of explosives

With somewhere north of $500 billion in funding every year, it’s no surprise that the American military is responsible for creating some of the most advanced, futuristic technology known to man. The latest such technology, which is being developed jointly by the United States Air Force and Army, is a new system that uses lasers to dispose of dangerous explosives, removing the need for soldiers to put their lives at risk by disarming explosives themselves.

Known as the Recovery of Airbase Denied by Ordinance (RADBO), this technology is being developed through the Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center Prototype Integration Facility (AMRDEC PIF) and will be equipped on the military’s existing mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles. And before you ask, no, I have no idea why the American military loves giving things ridiculously long names.

“RADBO’s laser can detonate bombs up to 300 meters and the Army’s integrated interrogator arm and manipulator claw, which can pull 50 pounds of debris up from cracks and underneath rubble,” said the Army in a statement on its official website. “Infrared cameras, driver vehicle enhanced capabilities and two alternators were installed to provide more than 1,100 amps of power. Another non-combat use of the RADBO is the ability for immediate range clearance allowing fighter pilots to use the range immediately after a live-ordnance drop training exercise. Since ranges can be cleared immediately for repeated use, this capability has the potential to save lives on the battlefield.”

The AMRDEC PIF developed the RADBO the Redstone Test Center in Huntsville, Alabama and will conclude the testing of the developmental testing of the technology next month. However, before we start seeing it in action, some additional tests must be completed with airmen on Tyndall Air Force Base later this year. When troops can expect to see this technology implemented is still unknown.

“Current testing on the RADBO includes munitions testing, hot and cold storage and electromagnetic interference. Developmental testing will conclude in July at RTC but additional tests will continue with airmen on Tyndall Air Force Base in September 2015. The PIF is a subordinate unit of the Engineering Directorate, which plans, develops, manages, and conducts Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command programs in the areas of total lifecycle systems engineering, product assurance, test, and evaluation.”

As amazing as this is, the RADBO isn’t the only laser-based technology that the American military has been working on, quite the contrary. Just as the RADBO is designed to dispose of explosives, the Office of Naval Research is developing a system known as Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy On-the-Move (GBAD) which is supposed to shoot enemy drones out of the sky with a powerful laser beam. Lockheed Martin even demonstrated the power of its Advanced Test High Energy Asset (ATHENA) laser weapon system earlier this year by destroying a small truck in a field test.