US Military Testing Jet-Mounted Lasers in 2014

[JonB]

US Military Testing Jet-Mounted Lasers in 2014


These next generation laser weapons are lighter and smaller than any before them.

The Pentagon has ordered the manufacture of several 150-kilowatt laser weapons designed to defend warplanes so that the U.S. Air Force and Navy can begin testing in 2014. The new weapons would represent a major step forward, being as much as ten times smaller and lighter than similar weapons, not to mention much more powerful than similar weapons currently in development and testing [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121422-Military-Laser-Slices-Steel-1km-Away]. The weapons are designed to be defensive in order to shoot down incoming missiles or projectiles, but similar weapons have been used to great effect against ground and naval targets. The U.S. Navy has used a laser to successfully disable a small craft, for example. While the weapons are first scheduled for ground based tests, the eventual goal is to mount them on jet planes for launch from ground bases and aircraft carriers.

Previously, the USAF had planned to mount a 1,000-kilowatt laser on a modified Boeing 747. The modified 747 was intended as a long range platform for hunting and destroying ballistic missiles, but those tests were scrapped due to the problems and limitations of laser weapons over great distances. The new tests don't have the same problems, because the smaller lasers mounted on drones or jets wouldn't be expected to work over such great distances. These weapons are being developed as part of a DARPA initiative called HELLADS - High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System.

Source: Tech News Daily [http://www.technewsdaily.com/16611-military-lasers-warplanes.html]


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[Xan Krieger]

We in the US are looking more and more like the Galactic Empire every day. What next, are we gonna call a new drone a TIE fighter?

 

[Quaxar]

Welcome
to the wooorld of tomorrrrrow
http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt311/actionhank1786/worldoftomorrow.jpg

Although, a Boing 747 as a weapons platform? Clearly you could have used cooler planes than something FedEx uses to send hand-knitted frog trousers off of etsy around the world.

 

[Evil Smurf]

Why does the US need more weapons? With the shit ton of guns they already have, I think they are pretty safe from invasion.

 

[kajinking]

I love the fact that a lot of sci-fi series were pretty much right when they said lasers would work better as a more short range weapon rather than something like a orbital death ray.

 

[VladG]

Meh. Call me when they test shark mounted lasers

 

[Jaegerwolf]

I love the fact that a lot of sci-fi series were pretty much right when they said lasers would work better as a more short range weapon rather than something like a orbital death ray.

Keep in mind the issue here is atmospheric interference. In space distance becomes much less of an issue.

 

[Saviordd1]

Why does the US need more weapons? With the shit ton of guns they already have, I think they are pretty safe from invasion.

Your missing the point here

I think I've said enough.

OT: Now we just need plasma weapons and we can fight teh aleins in speace!

 

[rcs619]

Why does the US need more weapons? With the shit ton of guns they already have, I think they are pretty safe from invasion.

Hey now, that $600+ billion a year has to go somewhere, you know. I mean, what else would we spend it on? Education? Infrastructure? Widely available healthcare? Pfft, can any of those kill unidentified enemy combatants at the speed of light? I think not. We've already got a fleet of unmanned remote-controlled killer robots. Why not develop the ability to mount lasers on them to just totally complete the whole Doctor Doom thing the US has going right now =P

(Comic book fans. Did Doctor Doom ever create an army of robots to randomly start killing people? I genuinely don't know, but would be greatly amused if he did)

I guess a point could be made about lasers not creating collateral damage, but usually the point of signature strikes (killing unknown, totally unidentified people who are merely suspected of being enemy combatants) *is* to kill whole groups of them at a time. So I suppose a clean-kill weapon like a laser would defeat the point.

(Don't get me wrong, I full appreciate how much of a life-saver predator drones can be in the field for our soldiers and I support that tactical application. However I find the practice of "signature strikes" to be morally reprehensible, tactically wasteful, and diplomatically stupid)

 

[uchytjes]

yawn. Call me when we've used those mining robots from earlier today to turn the moon into the death star.

 

[EnigmaticSevens]

Why does the US need more weapons? With the shit ton of guns they already have, I think they are pretty safe from invasion.

Hey now, that $600+ billion a year has to go somewhere, you know. I mean, what else would we spend it on? Education? Infrastructure? Widely available healthcare? Pfft, can any of those kill unidentified enemy combatants at the speed of light? I think not. We've already got a fleet of unmanned remote-controlled killer robots. Why not develop the ability to mount lasers on them to just totally complete the whole Doctor Doom thing the US has going right now =P

*dies of laughter* Oh god, you sir, you sir win! This needs to go on the facebook....

OT: As if we needed any more evidence of a severely overinflated defense budget.

Rest of the World: Yo bruh! You already got all the guns! Calm down!

US: Shut up! THIS ONE BREATHES FIRE!!!

 

[Xpwn3ntial]

Why does the US need more weapons? With the shit ton of guns they already have, I think they are pretty safe from invasion.

Did you just question the use of laser beams as weapons?
Listen, laser beams are awesome. Questions and criticisms are invalid.

 

[Evil Smurf]

Why does the US need more weapons? With the shit ton of guns they already have, I think they are pretty safe from invasion.

Did you just question the use of laser beams as weapons?
Listen, laser beams are awesome. Questions and criticisms are invalid.

Maybe I'm just bitter at the stupid people in politics. WHY POLITICS DID YOU RUIN LASERS FOR ME!

 

[Antari]

Its a damn shame what they did to the YAL-1. But that doesn't mean they didn't just turn the project black and stuff the laser into another type of plane.

 

[Spartan448]

Why does the US need more weapons? With the shit ton of guns they already have, I think they are pretty safe from invasion.

An AR-15 isn't going to be much help against an ICBM with a nuclear payload. The whole lazors things is mostly about developing a defensive platform for feasable use in defending against nuclear payloads, without much risk to the environment because of atomic radiation. With North Korea and Iran getting closer and closer to nukes, and getting more belligerant by the second, developing something that can safely and reliably shoot down a nuke is the differance between a feasable way to finally phase-out nuclear weapons (due to being obsolete), and some idiot lighting a match and starting a global nuclear war.

Also, adapting lasers for smaller platforms means a drone strike can be a precise thing instead of "We'll bomb this village and hope that the blast wave, fireball, and shrapnel don't kill all of the children this time."

 

[Burst6]

yes, all the enemy fighter planes need to do is to just stand still for some seconds..

It would be pretty hard to dodge light. As long as you keep the target in range they're not exactly going to dodge lasers.

Besides, it's not made to take down fighter planes. It's made to counter missiles and projectiles. When the nuclear war is stopped with the might power of lazors you're going to regret that image. Mark my words.

 

[Lucky Godzilla]

Why does the US need more weapons? With the shit ton of guns they already have, I think they are pretty safe from invasion.

Well an actual reason would be laser turrets could potentially revolutionize point defense. Basically, you point a laser at an incoming missile/plane and it explodes. No need to fire an expensive counter missile, or spray hundreds of bullets at it. Just point it at the incoming projectile and boom.
Sure it could be used offensively, but that requires getting relatively close to the target.

 

[TheMann]

Why does the US need more weapons? With the shit ton of guns they already have, I think they are pretty safe from invasion.

Did you just question the use of laser beams as weapons?
Listen, laser beams are awesome. Questions and criticisms are invalid.

Exactly! How many times have you thought to yourself "Ya know, this rifle is nice, but what I could really use is a good death-ray."? For me, it's a least once a day, usually between 1:30 and 3pm. So say what you like, I won't be able to hear you over the sound of how awesome my Mk.3 Perdition? laser cannon is.