The New Weapons Grade Laser

[The_root_of_all_evil]

The New Weapons Grade Laser

Northrop Grumman weapon has finally managed to make a weapons-grade electrical laser, but it's a bit of a beast.

The new laser relies purely on electrically-powered equipment rather than the COIL (chemical oxygen iodine laser) cannon fitted on the nuke-blasting jumbo jet [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/89572-US-Army-Tests-The-Laser].

The main advantage of this is that while the COIL requires a huge expenditure of toxic fuel and produces equal amounts of toxic waste, the electrical laser is "clean." The problem was that electric lasers haven't been able to reach the rather arbitrary 100kW limit that defines a weapons grade laser. Until now.

In the recent test, the laser was able to output 105kW of power for 5 minutes, with less than a second's power up. This makes it capable of incinerating almost any missiles that come into its path.

Now the bad news: These lasers are extortionately expensive, very bulky (1.5 tonnes), and really hard to keep cool. There's also the problem of how much energy they use up - with only 20% energy conversion, they require half a megawatt of power. Combine the weight of the laser, charging system and beam focuser, and you're going to need one strong cat [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/6.88839] to lug it around.


Source: The Register [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/18/100kw_raygun_barrier_falls/]

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[Spacelord]

One step closer to a world-ending mad scientist deathray.

SOOOooon....

 

[Lord_Ascendant]

One step closer to a world-ending mad scientist deathray.

SOOOooon....

whatcha mean "one step"?
I already built one, it is kind of innacurate though

 

[Cowabungaa]

We've got weaponised lasers for a while now. Best example is the MTHEL [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LThD0FMvTFU] defence laser, wich shoots down rockets and mortars. It's basicly the thing you had in C&C Generals as GDI, on your tanks and stuff, only not so small.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

We've got weaponised lasers for a while now. Best example is the MTHEL [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LThD0FMvTFU] defence laser, wich shoots down rockets and mortars. It's basicly the thing you had in C&C Generals as GDI, on your tanks and stuff, only not so small.

Thing is that THEL, also part of Northrop Grumman, has a top power of 30kW. The JHPSSL has modular 15kW units that can be bolted together together to make any level of power, depending on the power available. THEL also works in bursts while JHPSSL works in beams.

 

[Cowabungaa]

We've got weaponised lasers for a while now. Best example is the MTHEL [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LThD0FMvTFU] defence laser, wich shoots down rockets and mortars. It's basicly the thing you had in C&C Generals as GDI, on your tanks and stuff, only not so small.

Thing is that THEL, also part of Northrop Grumman, has a top power of 30kW. The JHPSSL has modular 15kW units that can be bolted together together to make any level of power, depending on the power available. THEL also works in bursts while JHPSSL works in beams.

Difference yes, hence why the THEL isn't called a weapon grade laser, but I would definatly call it a weaponised laser Afterall, it's shooting down rockets and mortars, good enough for me The JHPSSL will be directed against IBM's and maybe satellites. Hence why I'm now more impressed by projects like the THEL, those things could actually be deployed already in the near future. Just imagine naval ships 30 years in the future, equiped with huge railguns and lasers against incoming missles. Pew pew sci fi

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

As Stephen Colbert said the other night...
"They actually want us to start "aiming" the giant death ray now?"

 

[FallenRainbows]

We've got weaponised lasers for a while now. Best example is the MTHEL [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LThD0FMvTFU] defence laser, wich shoots down rockets and mortars. It's basicly the thing you had in C&C Generals as GDI, on your tanks and stuff, only not so small.

Thing is that THEL, also part of Northrop Grumman, has a top power of 30kW. The JHPSSL has modular 15kW units that can be bolted together together to make any level of power, depending on the power available. THEL also works in bursts while JHPSSL works in beams.

Difference yes, hence why the THEL isn't called a weapon grade laser, but I would definatly call it a weaponised laser Afterall, it's shooting down rockets and mortars, good enough for me The JHPSSL will be directed against IBM's and maybe satellites. Hence why I'm now more impressed by projects like the THEL, those things could actually be deployed already in the near future. Just imagine naval ships 30 years in the future, equiped with huge railguns and lasers against incoming missles. Pew pew sci fi

Rail Guns for shooting down lasers? Waste of a weapon use it for Obliterating everything and wouldn't a wepon grade laser be much more apt? Oh look a giant fortress BLAM! Nevermind... Of to Moscow!

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Difference yes, hence why the THEL isn't called a weapon grade laser, but I would definatly call it a weaponised laser Afterall, it's shooting down rockets and mortars, good enough for me The JHPSSL will be directed against IBM's and maybe satellites. Hence why I'm now more impressed by projects like the THEL, those things could actually be deployed already in the near future. Just imagine naval ships 30 years in the future, equiped with huge railguns and lasers against incoming missles. Pew pew sci fi

Well...given the power of the lightning bolt...caught at a clock tower, naturally, the JHPSSL could produce a 250MW pulse, roughly enough to vaporise a 35cm cube of iron per second.
Scary?

 

[scotth266]

GIANT DEATH RAY LOLOLOLOL
Well, now that that is out of my system, let me say this: lasers are crazy stuff, but I doubt they'll be "practical" anytime soon. It would confuse the crap out of your enemies though.

 

[BobisOnlyBob]

They're practical as static missile/rocket/mortar defence.
They're impractical as directed energy weapons.
They're impractical against opposed railgun fire.

Fortunately, we really have no need for the second and the third will not be an issue unless the nations of the G8 decide to fight amongst themselves again. (Russia and America, play nice.)

 

[LewsTherin]

They're practical as static missile/rocket/mortar defence.
They're impractical as directed energy weapons.
They're impractical against opposed railgun fire.

Fortunately, we really have no need for the second and the third will not be an issue unless the nations of the G8 decide to fight amongst themselves again. (Russia and America, play nice.)

This is true, but it's a GIANT F*CKING LASER OF DEATH!

 

[Jumplion]

Austin Powers reference. Nice.

"Now to test out my 'la-ser'."

 

[Pimppeter2]

I only see 1 possible explination

ALEIENS

 

[Disembodied_Dave]

If the listened to Telsa we'd have death rayed those Nazi bastards. I mean sure that thing is cool, but mow what Nazis will we death ray?

But still.. This is acceptable.

 

[ThaBenMan]

Awww, I was hoping for a laser rifle or something. Maybe on my 95th birthday I'll be able to take my Lazotron Z-5000 to the firing range...

 

[KDR_11k]

They're practical as static missile/rocket/mortar defence.
They're impractical as directed energy weapons.
They're impractical against opposed railgun fire.

Fortunately, we really have no need for the second and the third will not be an issue unless the nations of the G8 decide to fight amongst themselves again. (Russia and America, play nice.)

Er, that still doesn't account for plain old direct kinetic fire (AKA tank aiming at you). The system would probably help with protecting troops against artillery fire between battles but I don't think it'd hold up in a battle so it'd probably stay behind. Just one tank round or antitank weapon fired at the carrier vehicle and it's offline (I don't think the laser assembly could be armored that well and even then AT weapons are pretty powerful and could probably punch through the armor, hitting a condenser that can take this much charge when it's charged... well, BOOM). There's also the question about its capabilities, how many simultaneous projectiles can it cope with and how quickly can it retarget when there's a large difference in approach directions? Could get difficult when you're dealing with full rocket artillery volleys or maybe gunship fire. I recall that anti-artillery laser that they demoed some time ago taking several seconds to heat the projectile to the point where the explosives inside went up.

 

[GoldenShadow]

The laser strength, or power level, is what has been holding this back, not the targeting systems. Our targeting systems are extremely accurate.

This could be a very tough nut to crack for an opposing army. You know there will be a ton of armor surrounding the laser system. so only viable way to take it out would be an airstrike or long range artillery, which the laser is designed to defeat.

Its pretty much a Point defense right now

Once this technology proliferates, we will start to see some advances in offensive weaponry that can bypass laser defense. Maybe equiping missiles with heat shields like the space shuttle uses, but I don't know if that would be good enough.

 

[Ranooth]

Wonder if they'll let me borrow it for the weekend, i have some "targets" that i need dealing with.

 

[BobisOnlyBob]

They're practical as static missile/rocket/mortar defence.
They're impractical as directed energy weapons.
They're impractical against opposed railgun fire.

Fortunately, we really have no need for the second and the third will not be an issue unless the nations of the G8 decide to fight amongst themselves again. (Russia and America, play nice.)

Er, that still doesn't account for plain old direct kinetic fire (AKA tank aiming at you). The system would probably help with protecting troops against artillery fire between battles but I don't think it'd hold up in a battle so it'd probably stay behind. Just one tank round or antitank weapon fired at the carrier vehicle and it's offline (I don't think the laser assembly could be armored that well and even then AT weapons are pretty powerful and could probably punch through the armor, hitting a condenser that can take this much charge when it's charged... well, BOOM). There's also the question about its capabilities, how many simultaneous projectiles can it cope with and how quickly can it retarget when there's a large difference in approach directions? Could get difficult when you're dealing with full rocket artillery volleys or maybe gunship fire. I recall that anti-artillery laser that they demoed some time ago taking several seconds to heat the projectile to the point where the explosives inside went up.

Agreed; hence my qualifier of "static". I'm envisioning this as a large fenced-off installation defending an area near a hostile border. No good against enemy tanks, but when defended by your own tank, suddenly you have a mutual protection cycle: enemy jeeps/tanks can't get near, you have a main battle tank; enemy artillery can't remove the tank, you have a laser installation.
This is definitely a defensive tool, that requires additional defensive elements to be effective, but supported correctly, is another lifeline in international military practice.

Supposing power requirements can be reduced, it'll be good on fighter/bomber size aircraft as an anti-ICBM tool.