SEVEN YEARS AGO, BOEING AND RAYTHEON TEAMED UP TO BUILD AN AIRBORNE LASER FOR THE U.S. AIR FORCE. IMAGE SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.

Boeing (NYSE:BA) is building a laser gun for the U.S. Marine Corps.

No, not that ray gun you see above -- that was the U.S. Air Force Airborne Laser. And no, we're not talking about Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser or its Laser Avenger projects, either. Respectively, those weapons systems require anything from the size of a Boeing 747 to a small tank to lug them around.

Boeing's newest laser weapon system, in contrast, is small enough to be transported by hand.

BOEING'S NEW COMPACT LASER WEAPON SYSTEM (LWS), IN FOUR EASILY ASSEMBLED PARTS. IMAGE SOURCE: BOEING. 

Well, by a few hands at least. According to a Boeing representative, the company's new Compact Laser Weapon System (LWS) breaks down into four parts, each transportable by one or two Marines. Boeing says these components include:

• a battery
• a water-cooled chiller
• a commercially available fiber laser
• an upgraded beam director, weighing 40% less than a previous model.

In total, the system weighs about 650 pounds and would probably be operated by a squad of eight to 12 soldiers or Marines.

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