This is how AeroVironment’s Locust laser system shoots down drones: First, radar detects an incoming drone up to seven miles away. An operator then locks onto the target using an ordinary Xbox controller. From that point on, artificial intelligence helps the laser track the drone as it approaches. The final step: destruction. “Imagine if you will, you're taking a beam of light, or a flashlight, and pushing that out several miles away. And that creates enough heat to melt through the plastics or what the material is that these drones are made of,” explains John Garrity, who’s in charge of AeroVironment’s Locust program. #dronewarefare #lasertechnology