US Military Laser Weapons Thread

[jimmy olsen]

Our anti-UFO grid is getting closer to completion.

http://www.wired.com/2014/09/armys-new-laser-cannon-blasts-drones-out-of-the-sky-even-in-fog/

Army's New Laser Cannon Blasts Drones Out of the Sky, Even in Fog

    By Jordan Golson 
    09.05.14  | 
    6:30 am  | 
   
Boeing is building a laser cannon for the U.S. Army, and the new weapon has now proved it will be as capable at sea as on land. The High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD)—basically a high-energy laser mounted on top of a big truck—was successfully used to blast some UAV drones and 60mm mortars out of the Florida sky earlier this year, Boeing announced Thursday.

This test was done in a windy and foggy environment, an essential step to proving the technology is useful for naval deployment. The HEL MD used a 10-kilowatt laser—a much less powerful version of what it will eventually fire—to "successfully engage" more than 150 targets at Eglin Air Force Base, a Department of Defense weapons testing facility on the Florida Panhandle. In other words, it disabled or destroyed them.

In simple terms, the laser makes an incredibly powerful, highly focused beam of light and aims it at a moving target. Light equals heat, and, after enough heat has been transferred, the target is compromised and crashes or blows up. The Army and Boeing (which landed a $36 million contract for the project) have been working on this for the better part of a decade, par for the course for a next-generation weapons platform.

The lithium ion batteries that power the HEL MD's laser are charged by a 60 kW diesel generator, so if the Army can keep the fuel tank full, they can shoot down incoming threats indefinitely. The system uses a telescope and infrared-based, wide field of view camera to locate and designate targets. Boeing has designed the system to be operated by a driver and an operator with a laptop and an Xbox controller. Putting it on a truck makes the system mobile, and thus much more useful in battle situations.

The next step for the laser cannon will be to up the power to 50 or 60 kilowatts, a "tactically significant power level" for use against incoming rockets, artillery and mortar strikes, and UAV drones. The laser cannon isn't expected to be ready for use in the field for several more years, at least.

[CountDeMoney]

Good, because the Chinese have probably already ripped it off by the time the press release was authorized.

[jimmy olsen]

Really impressive video

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/12/10/navy_unveils_laser_weapons_system_video.html

The U.S. Navy unveiled its new laser technology on Wednesday. What exactly does that mean? It means the USS Ponce, the ship on which the technology has been tested, "is capable of disabling incoming planes or speedboats that could pose a threat to a ship by firing an invisible ray that can target engine systems with incredible precision," Pentagon officials told ABC News. The Laser Weapons System (LaWS) has been undergoing tests in the Persian Gulf since earlier this year and is considered fully operational, according to Navy officials.

The Pentagon released the video of the LaWS on Wednesday. "The laser looks like a telescope and is paired with a long-range optical system that allows for precise targeting at a distance," ABC News reports. "The laser is controlled by a sailor who sits in front of monitors and uses a controller similar to those found on an XBox or PlayStation gaming systems."

[derspiess]

Good, because the Chinese have probably already ripped it off by the time the press release was authorized.

THANKS CLINTON

[CountDeMoney]

I really don't see what Parliament Funkadelic has to do with this.

[Brazen]

"USS Ponce" heh.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ponce

[Ed Anger]

Brits. 

[derspiess]

Wouldn't we use the Spanish pronunciation?  I know Brits struggle with that, or even go out of their way to avoid it.

[Brazen]

I don't know, the British definition and pronunciation seems rather appropriate for the Navy.

[celedhring]

"USS Ponce" heh.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ponce

Term originated in the UK and came to prominence in the 1960's, initially to describe a pimp. In Spanish it means "prince" and could have either been referring to the fancy, over-the-top clothing and jewelry popular with pimps, or because he was surrounded by a harem of women, involved in the underworld, but usually not the actual "king" of the area (he had to pay tribute to use the block or neighborhood).

No, it doesn't 

It's just a surname derived from "Pontius".

[grumbler]

Wouldn't we use the Spanish pronunciation?  I know Brits struggle with that, or even go out of their way to avoid it.

It is named after a city in Puerto Rico, and pronounced "pon-say."

[Siege]

Wouldn't we use the Spanish pronunciation?  I know Brits struggle with that, or even go out of their way to avoid it.

It is named after a city in Puerto Rico, and pronounced "pon-say."

Isisn't this after Ponce the Leon?
The dude looking for the fountain of youth or something?
I'm pretty sure there is boulevard name after him in Coral Gables, Miami, were my wife's fami...were evil rich people lives.

[grumbler]

Wouldn't we use the Spanish pronunciation?  I know Brits struggle with that, or even go out of their way to avoid it.

It is named after a city in Puerto Rico, and pronounced "pon-say."

Isisn't this after Ponce the Leon?
The dude looking for the fountain of youth or something?
I'm pretty sure there is boulevard name after him in Coral Gables, Miami, were my wife's fami...were evil rich people lives.

The city is named for the dude, and the ship for the city.

[Ideologue]

And the frog for the log in the hole at the bottom of the sea.

[grumbler]

And the frog for the log in the hole at the bottom of the sea.

There's a bump on the ass of the frog on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea...