laser cannons on planes, OH MY!

[Elliott18t]

Originally Posted by POPsci - Stuart fox

Pew! Airborne Military Laser Takes Out Truck on Video

In a recent test at the White Sands Missile Range, a specially equipped C-130 plane fried a parked truck with a powerful laser. And while we still haven't seen evidence of the laser "defeating" a ground target, as Boeing puts it, a video of it scorching a direct hit on the hood of a truck is still pretty amazing.

(video..)
http://c.brightcove.com/services/vie...rID=1274168784

As you can see, the laser beam burns right through the truck's hood, and then through the engine, "defeating" the vehicle. Called the "Advanced Tactical Laser" (ATL), this is the first time the megawatt-powered chemical laser has been used to engage a target in a combat simulation situation.

Now, to be fair, the car was parked by itself in the middle of the desert. So unless we've got a clean shot at Al-Qaeda's parking lot, the beam isn't ready for prime time. Plus, last year the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board said that "the Advanced Tactical Laser testbed has no operational utility."

Despite those reservations, Boeing is still confident that the laser will soon provide a weapon that can take out a target with little or no collateral damage.

http://www.popsci.com/military-aviat...akes-out-truck

Originally Posted by Popular mechanics - Tyghe trimble

Advanced Tactical Laser Blasts a Stationary Target (With Video!)


Today, we've seen progress in Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser program. Here, is video of an in-flight aircraft precisely firing its laser at a stationary ground vehicle target during an Aug. 30 test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The vehicle never stood a chance.

By Tyghe Trimble
Published on: October 1, 2009


For years, the Pentagon's research budget has funded not one, but two planes armed with laser turrets. Although the Airborne Laser (ABL) and the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) have different missions, both projects are led by aviation and defense giant Boeing, and both consist of a chemical laser mounted on a large aircraft. Both projects also cleared major technical hurdles in June, with ABL successfully targeting a missile (pdf) in flight, and ATL firing its full-power laser at a ground target for the first time. And yet, the laser planes are on very different flight paths, as ABL weathers its harshest criticism yet, while its younger sibling slides quietly toward further testing.

Today, we've seen progress in Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser program. Here, is video of an in-flight aircraft precisely firing its laser at a stationary ground vehicle target during an Aug. 30 test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The vehicle never stood a chance.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/tech...w/4332402.html