Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser, attached to the underbelly of a C130-Hercules military aircraft, can eliminate a high-level target without hurting anyone nearby, the company boasts.

Here's a look at a new high-tech laser that could change the future of warfare.

The laser beam is attached to a C130-Hercules military aircraft and can shoot targets from miles away with stunning precision - zapping them with heat.

It's like having a sniper in the sky.

"If you had one of these on the battlefield, there is no place that the enemy is safe to hide," said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director for Boeing's Directed Energy Systems, which makes the laser.

The Advanced Tactical Laser produces a beam of light. A series of mirrors controlled by a computer guide the laser beam to its intended target. Those mirrors also help adjust the laser beam to compensate for any turbulence the plane might experience.

With its ultraprecision, the Advanced Tactical Laser is expected to limit collateral damage during combat.

"We may be able to engage a target that you could not otherwise engage," Fitzmire said.

The system was tested for the first time at Kirkland Air Force base in New Mexico last week. Boeing officials said it was able to hit a 3-foot-by-3-foot target, but declined to say from how far, citing security reasons.

While initial results are promising, the laser is still a long way from being used in combat.

"This was a 'Gee whiz!' demonstration," said Philip Coyle, a weapons expert at the Center for Defense Information. "It was not a demonstration of a new military system that has been shown to be operationally effective, that you could depend on in battle."

Coyle said the laser could be effective in trying to eliminate a high-level target without hurting anyone nearby.

"Let's say you think you've got Osama Bin Laden in your sights or you've got one person and you don't want to kill anybody else," he said. "Then the question is: Are you going to use it instead of bullets?"

The laser isn't always lethal, he said. It emits intense heat, but doesn't necessarily kill a target.

"It's very tough to beat an ordinary rifle in terms of laser power," Coyle said. "For example, is there enough power in the laser to melt through the armor of an enemy tank? If not, then what good is it?"

Boeing, with a budget of $200million, has been developing the laser for the past five years, and plans to test it again later this year.

It's unclear how much the laser system will cost once it's ready for production.