It may sound like the smoke monster from LOST, but the new anti-aircraft laser that was revealed at the Farnborough Airshow is anything but. Yes, I said laser.

This Laser Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) has already been tested successfully by shooting down unmanned vehicles using a solid state fiber laser that produces a 50 kilowatt beam. It can also be used against mortar, rockets and small surface ships. Made by U.S. company, Raytheon, it’s already been tied to Phalanx, the U.S. Navy’s anti-missile defense system. Which, oddly enough, is nicknamed “R2-D2.”

While problems such as weather conditions, and even the target itself, have plagued laser weapon development in the past, Raytheon Missile Systems’ vice president, Mike Booen, says that these problems could be overcome. “Every material reflects, but you can overcome this with power; once you get over a certain threshold – measured in multiple kilowatts – then the laser does what it is designed to do.”

Based on the video below, it sure looks like the CIWS can do a lot of damage, regardless of the conditions or target. Watch as it blasts a UAV into flames, and pay attention to the night test. Ladies and gentlemen, we are now living in a world where lasers can shoot down stuff, and as much as that kind of frightens me, my adrenaline can’t help but pump when I see this thing in action.