The ray gun, long a mainstay of science-fiction tales, may actually enter the American war-fighting arsenal in a few years. Engineers at several defense firms have conducted successful tests of key prototype components of truck-size "laser cannon" systems capable of firing a beam from aircraft, naval ships or armored vehicles to zap targets many kilometers away--even through intervening dust or fog.

This article was originally published with the title Beam Weapons Get Real.

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