War With Wicked Lasers: The U.S. Navy Goes High-Tech

Soon, somewhere in the waters of the Middle East, ships will be blasting missiles out of the sky with lasers. Yes, you read that right. The U.S. Navy has already outfitted the fantail of transport ship USS Ponce with a solid-state fiber laser capable of destroying drones in flight.

Why should investors care? In the following interview with The Motley Fool's Erin Miller, Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova says the technology is reminiscent of IPG Photonics' pioneering work in fiber lasers. He also says the breakthrough could put pressure on Navy contractors such as Northrop Grumman to develop new ships capable of carrying laser weapons systems.

Please watch this short video to get Tim's full take, and then leave a comment to let us know what you think of the Navy's efforts to bring a little sci-fi action to its fleet.

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The article War With Wicked Lasers: The U.S. Navy Goes High-Tech originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers stock-picking team and the Motley Fool Supernova Odyssey I mission. Neither he nor Erin Miller owned shares in any of the companies mentioned in this article at the time of publication. Check out Tim's Web home and portfolio holdings, or connect with him on Google+, Tumblr, or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of IPG Photonics and Northrop Grumman. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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