https://youtu.be/9ElNjgZCDpQ

this is no longer in development. It’s developed. It’s onboard a Navy ship right now,

http://hotair.com/archives/201...y-ship-persian-gulf/

betting its more than 40 Watts

a buck a shot - what a deal

Space battleship Yamato... If it can target and destroy multiple supersonic missile threats, it will be a complete game changer.

we should put them on everything we have including the occasional RHIB - just because we can

Creating an acronym from only part of another acronym. Uh...

That is awesome.
Second generation is under development...hmmm..I would think this could be a game changer for that NK midget!

Lasers....pew..pew...pew...yeah !

So, once they can get an effective range of around 50,000 ft they can mount a few on airplanes. How do you guys like your petty dictator, well done or medium? I'm thinking recon flight over NK.

Ken

Now if we can only keep the technology secure.

...and the Left laughed at Reagan...

some more detail

http://electronics360.globalsp...rth-of-laser-weapons

USS Ponce’s Laser Weapons System (LaWS)

The first operational LaWS is a 30kW solid-state infrared laser mounted on the USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15), an Austin-class amphibious transport dock ship that was slated for decommission in March 2012 before the decision to convert the craft into a test bed for the deployment of the first-ever LaWS.

The 30kW LaWS onboard the USS Ponce is the first moment of success after decades of research and development. It emits a destructive beam capable of shooting down unmanned aircraft (UAV) and disarming small boats. It can also be tuned down and used as a means to dazzle and disarm enemy craft.

What’s Next?

A 30kW LaWS with decent beam quality, a range of just under a mile and ample size and weight has been commissioned by the U.S. Navy. However, it fails to scale to the power needed to function as a ballistic missile interceptor.

A higher-power laser, capable of disarming ballistic missiles and augmenting the use of interceptor missiles that range in operational expenses of hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, is being investigated. Northrop Grumman is under contract to develop a 150 kW laser for the Office of Naval Research.

The 12-month, $53 million deal was negotiated for the development of a three-phase laser weapon system demonstration. Initial design, ground-testing, and weapons testing at sea aboard a Navy Self Defense test ship is underway. A three-year deal to fully develop a ship-board laser weapon with the ability to quickly incinerate drones, small boats, aircraft, ships and even missiles could be carried out if all contract options are exercised. The design will incorporate multi-spectral target acquisition, an advanced off-axis beam director, and high-power fiber lasers with extended range capabilities.

The U.S. Air force and Army have also been involved in directed-energy weapon development. The Air Force Research Lab is engaged in a five-year SHIELD program with the goal of creating sufficient on-board power, optics and high-energy lasers that would be required to defend large platforms including the B-52 Bomber, C-17s and C-130s. Airborne tests are slated for 2021, and actual service plans are contingent on technological miniaturization so that the devices could be configured for fighter jets such as the F-15, F-16 or F-35.

The U.S. Army in partnership with Raytheon tested a fully integrated laser system mounted to a rotary-wing aircraft, an Apache AH-64 attack helicopter. They were able to acquire and hit an unmanned target at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, over a slant range of 1.4 kilometers.

put it on an airplane...

remember the movie Real Genius?

Now drones will have mirror paint jobs. Problem solved.

Seriously, though, can a laser weapon be defeated with reflective defenses, or is the energy such that it would burn through a mirror?

I know they wreak havoc with a Holtzman shield.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
Now drones will have mirror paint jobs. Problem solved.

Seriously, though, can a laser weapon be defeated with reflective defenses, or is the energy such that it would burn through a mirror?

I know they wreak havoc with a Holtzman shield.

Heat; laser creates a hot spot, causing combustion.

Consider what it takes to make 30kW of energy, plus the ability to discharge rapidly, while holding som ein store to be released. Will this work on an airplane?

So how well does it work on Soylent green? Will it make heads vaporize in a puff of steam?

range is only a mile. I would think they are going to need a 3,000 kw system to defeat a fast moving missile, as they need distance.