Exotic New Weapons

The Navy plans to deploy an exotic new weapon this year. It's a super powerful laser officials say can shoot down drone aircraft or sink small boats. The device can be operated by one sailor. It requires a lot of electrical power, but the cost per blast is thought to be lower than that of traditional ordnance. 

Next year the Navy hopes to try out another new weapon called a rail gun. It launches a projectile at supersonic speeds using magnets instead of explosives. It takes so much power no existing ship has enough. Navy officials are waiting for completion of a new, gas turbine powered destroyer. The Zumwalt is under construction at Bath Iron Works, Maine. Program manager Capt. Mike Ziv says the new weapons fundamentally change how the Navy fights.