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

[Scapegoat]

that jet is old news, but its cool to see how accurate it can be.

rumor has it one of those shot down one of the korean test missiles

[Elliott18t]

yes the plane is old news, but to see how accurate the laser is on even a non-moving target is pretty impressive at this stage.

[c0nfl1kt]

Meh, I am disapoint. I expected some cool **** when I opened this thread =(

[Scapegoat]

i'd wager its a lot more advanced then they're letting on and that this video is old news to the government. they do like to keep things pretty well wrapped up when it comes to state of the art combat vehicles, like the stealth fighter and bomber.

course... that video doesn't really show anything

[Elliott18t]

unfortunately we donot have the power to have a mobile laser capable of tearing through ****, so this is where we are... at least declassified wise..

[c0nfl1kt]

Honestly, I don't think projectile weapons are going anywhere anytime soon. They're cheap and effective.

[Elliott18t]

main reason for this is, as stated in the articles, is to minimize collateral damage.

[c0nfl1kt]

Originally Posted by Elliott18t

main reason for this is, as stated in the articles, is to minimize collateral damage.

I don't feel like reading that article, but what kind of damage do you think lasers can do to reduce collateral damage on, lets say, air to land bombing? Damage is determined by the size of the charge of the projectile(or lazor) compared to proximity of other buildings, etc. Even with a laser trying to target one home in a cluster of homes, the other homes are still going to get damaged since a stronger laser charge = greater explosion because of greater force and still equals the amount of damage being dealt. I could only see laser technology being used for the previously mentioned dismantling of missiles midflight, interrupting EM or Thermal sensitive targets from space onto the ground, or in naval warfare. Projectiles(bullets) are still safe on the battlefield and the collateral damage is mostly controlled by the person dispersing the projectiles.

[Scapegoat]

correct, this laser is being used to dismantle missiles midflight. the video attached was only a demonstration.

though, i'd like to see what it can do to tank armor. I'd assume one of those wouldn't be maneuverable enough to warrant not using this system if it were at all going to be used in such a fashion

[Elliott18t]

I dont see lasers making a huge explosion, if much of any, as big as current explosives.. plus say we need to incompacitate a vehicle instead of taking risk of blowing it up, killing the occupants, etc. thats where I see it being used.. idk though, just speculating.

[ILLJIM69]

Who cares about collateral damage? Don't want the house next to you getting targeted? Don't let terrorists live in your neighborhood.

[c0nfl1kt]

Originally Posted by Elliott18t

I dont see lasers making a huge explosion, if much of any, as big as current explosives.. plus say we need to incompacitate a vehicle instead of taking risk of blowing it up, killing the occupants, etc. thats where I see it being used.. idk though, just speculating.

The lasers that are being showcased are a pretty small charge laser with a directional output. There are several ways they can incorporate lasers on ships or airplanes. One way is burst lasers. Another one is truly massive ones in which the charge can be encased in magnetic fields and explode on contact releasing massive amounts of agitate energy. If I had to I would put my stock into Gauss weapons.

[Elliott18t]

see it might have also helped If I could actually see this in action at work >_< (video)

[Scapegoat]

Originally Posted by Elliott18t

see it might have also helped If I could actually see this in action at work >_< (video)

it was a boring video... all it showed was the hood of a truck and what looked like a fuse on fire.

[c0nfl1kt]

Originally Posted by Scapegoat

it was a boring video... all it showed was the hood of a truck and what looked like a fuse on fire.

Ken lies! It looked like the army was firing laser turrets on an experimental navy cruiser in-land towards Afghanistan and took out several Talib's on the ridge!!! AWESUM. Sike.

[Vypurr]

Originally Posted by Elliott18t

I dont see lasers making a huge explosion, if much of any, as big as current explosives.. plus say we need to incompacitate a vehicle instead of taking risk of blowing it up, killing the occupants, etc. thats where I see it being used.. idk though, just speculating.

This is the EXACT use for this project. Imagine flying a plane over an enemy base, and in a single pass, you shot out every tire on every vehicle on the compound!!!

Same for airfields, shooting weapons out of troops hands, hell, you could accuratly shoot a dildo out of Osama Bin Laden's ass!

This demo is realistically 9-12 months old at this point (even though we are just seeing it now). The accuracy is the easy part of it though. The hard part is creating a laser which can do the type of damage they want, and be portable!

[c0nfl1kt]

I've seen shows where they agitate molecules under your skin to make it so uncomfortable that you have to drop down, get out of the way, or start pissing yourself. That particular weapon, although not a laser, could be a lot more useful for personnel. Gauss weapons could be used for the same thing along with a laser targeting device since it is fired at such high speeds that the atmosphere won't let it deviate from its course. I guess it's an ingenuity versus cost thing, and at this point we don't NEED laser weapons. Nevertheless, it's not a bad thing to experiment for the future.

[Elliott18t]

yeah, portable is the hard part. Ive see a video with a HIGH powered laser.. it took up a whole huge room. dont exactly know the size..

[c0nfl1kt]

Active Denial System:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgG45Lvhow0

THE US Defence Department today unveiled what it called a revolutionary heat-beaming weapon that could be used to control mobs or repel foes in conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan.
The so-called Active Denial System creates an intense burning sensation causing people to run for cover, but no lasting harm, officials said.
"This is a breakthrough technology that's going to give our forces a capability they don't now have," Theodore Barna, an assistant deputy undersecretary of defence for advanced systems and concepts, said.
"We expect the services to add it to their tool kit. And that could happen as early as 2010."
The weapon, mounted on a Humvee vehicle, uses a large rectangular dish antenna to direct an invisible beam toward a target.
It includes a high-voltage power unit and beam-generating equipment and is effective at more than 500 metres.
Existing counter-personnel systems designed not to kill - including bean bag munitions and rubber bullets - work at little more than "rock-throwing distances," said Marine Colonel Kirk Hymes, director of the Pentagon's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate.
In increasingly complex military operations, the technology provided a much-needed alternative to just going from "shouting to shooting," said Colonel Hymes, who is responsible for the weapon's five-year, $US60 million advanced development.
Variations of the system could help in peacetime and wartime missions, including crowd control and mob dispersal, checkpoint security and port protection, officials said.
It could also help in conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan.
Raytheon Co, which has worked to develop the technology, has built a prototype called Silent Guardian, that it hopes to sell in the United States and abroad in what could become a multibillion market.
The weapon was shown off publicly for the first time at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, where it has been undergoing operational tests by the 820th Security Forces Group, which protects US Air Force assets.
The directorate invited reporters to be zapped as part of what its spokeswoman, Marine Major Sarah Fullwood, called an effort to "demystify" the technology at issue.
At a distance of several football fields, the sensation from the exposure was like a blast from a very hot oven, too painful to bear without scrambling for cover.
The burning sensation is achieved by high-power energy waves that heat the skin to 54 degrees Celsius. The pain ended as soon as the target jumped from the line of fire.
Documents given out during the demonstration said more than 10,000 people had been exposed to the weapon since testing began more than 12 years ago.
They said there had been no injuries requiring medical attention during the five-year advanced development program.

source:http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums...d.php?t=103405