California, U.S.A. – The United States have confirmed something that seemingly only existed in science fiction before.

According to a report by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), a test in California was completed successfully when an aircraft with an on-board laser managed to shoot down a live ballistic missile in-flight. This report records the first ever successful event of its kind in history.

The plane, a modified frame of the Boeing 747, was mounted with a laser turret that it uses to shoot down the missiles. On-board support lasers were used to lock on a target, which guides the plane’s computers to fly the plane along an intercept trajectory. Once locked in, the laser turret fires concentrated energy on the missile sufficient enough to destroy it, all in a matter of seconds.

Former U.S. president Ronald Reagan first toyed with the idea of using lasers to aid in missile defense, but this is the first instance of ever using concentrated energy to destroy live missiles from the air.

The U.S. military seems to be in great favor of harvesting laser technology for missile defense. Compared to the standard military equipment for missile defense now, lasers can attack from several hundred kilometers away, act at the speed of light, and are significantly cheaper than current technologies.

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