lightning bolts down laser beams New weapon

[Darth Vader]

The United States Army's team of scientists are busy at work developing a device that will shoot lightning bolts down laser beams to destroy its target.

And they are doing it with gusto - announcing their work with a hearty: 'Soldiers and science fiction fans, you're welcome.'

The Laser-Induced Plasma Channel, or LIPC, is designed to take out targets that conduct electricity better than the air or ground that surrounds them.

And the research is a lot of work, but as George Fischer, lead scientist on the project, said: 'We never got tired of the lightning bolts zapping our (simulated) targets.'