London, Apr 19 (ANI): US researchers are designing a laser-guided microwave blaster to destroy explosives.

The weapon, called the Multimode Directed Energy Armament System, uses a high-power laser to ionise the air, could destroy the electronic fuse of an explosive device or missile, such as a roadside bomb, or immobilise a vehicle by disabling its ignition system, reports New Scientist.

It works by creating a plasma channel that acts as a waveguide for the stream of microwaves, and uses a high-power laser to ionise the air.

The project is the brainchild of the US army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Centre (ARDEC).

The weapon’s range will depend on the laser-generated channel.

“The concept is solid and the only issues are with engineering - the physics works,” says Carlo Kopp, who researches electromagnetic pulse weapons at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

The army expects to have a prototype weapon working outside the lab by 2011. (ANI)