SOMETIME later this year, an armoured car with a curious-looking turret on top of it will trundle out to an army proving ground near Waynesville, Missouri. A powerful laser beam will shoot from the turret and start blowing a field strewn with landmines and cluster bomblets to kingdom come. At least, that's the theory.

The US Army is developing the laser-based de-mining method, dubbed Zeus, as a way of clearing mines left on airfields and roads during battles or by retreating enemy forces. The trials will be the first chance for the Army's de-mining experts to see if the technique works as planned.

The idea is to clear the numerous devices that modern warfare leaves strewn around on the ground. Small mines are often scattered from helicopters and trucks, and cluster bombs spray out hundreds of smaller bomblets, many of which fail to explode on impact. "When dropped on soft ...