The Cold War legend of Romania’s tank-melting laser

This article is republished with permission from Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology. Every conflict gets the legend it deserves. The French-born pirate Jean Lafitte became a “battlefield hero” while fighting for the United States during the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. The beloved American TV host Fred Rogers was allegedly a deadly sniper during the Vietnam War. And amid the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a single…