THE US Air Force is to fit Star Wars-style "death rays" to its fighter jets to zap enemy missiles out of the sky. Pentagon chiefs now hope the futuristic laser system will be ready for active service by 2025, say new reports. National Defense reports the Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) is a mounted laser developed by Lockheed Martin for the Air Force Research Lab. At the moment pilots have to take evasive action to try and dodge any enemy missiles traveling at more than 2,000mph. Last year, US Air Force officials revealed they had conducted a successful test using a ground-based laser to shoot down "several missiles".
