Isaac Neal, a University of New Mexico alumnus, is helping develop state-of-the-art laser technology designed to protect troops overseas.
Neal currently works in the Laser & Electro-Optical Systems organization within The Boeing Company as a guidance, navigation and control engineer for the Compact Laser Weapon System project in Albuquerque, according to a UNM press release.
The system will help the military and other consumers track and take precautionary measures against drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, that may pose a threat, according to the statement.
“The military’s been finding that [UAVs are] a real problem because it’s just not worth our tax dollars to shoot them down using traditional methods like rockets or guns,” said Neal, who received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 2011 and his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 2013, both at UNM, in the statement. “The system that we’ve developed is quite effective at taking these out in a cheap way."
The Boeing Company believes the technology will attract military clients, according to the statement.
“It’s not like Star Wars -- you shoot a laser and it causes the ship to explode. It’s a little less exciting than that,” he said in the statement. "But, you disable it and cause it to crash in the ground."
