Watch The U.S. Navy’s New Laser Weapon Take Out Two Ships

[American]

Watch The U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy announced Wednesday that a new laser weapon deployed into Persian Gulf earlier this year performed seamlessly during testing that wrapped up in November, and declared the weapon a success.

Deployed for the first time aboard the U.S.S. Ponce in September, the Office of Naval Research released a video Wednesday of the LaWS (laser weapon system) taking out two test targets.

I think this is a huge step.

 

[humbolt]

Watch The U.S. Navy


I think this is a huge step.

Very cool. This is just the beginning. There's far more to come.

 

[longview]

Watch The U.S. Navy


I think this is a huge step.

That is cool, it all comes down to time on target.
The pulsed systems can place a lot of energy in a small time window,
the CW systems must keep tracking the same spot to allow the energy to accumulate.

 

[Goshin]

That is cool, it all comes down to time on target.
The pulsed systems can place a lot of energy in a small time window,
the CW systems must keep tracking the same spot to allow the energy to accumulate.

I've been wondering if it was a pulse or continuous beam weapon.

Does anyone know?

 

[longview]

I've been wondering if it was a pulse or continuous beam weapon.

Does anyone know?

The video looked continuous, it was tracking, smoke started coming out, then bang!.
the pulsed would have been over in less than a 1 ms.
(We had a off color joke in the IR pulsed laser lab about eye protection,
"the last thing you never saw!")

 

[APACHERAT]

Watch The U.S. Navy


I think this is a huge step.

The tread title is misleading, the lasers took out a ski boat.

But still promising.

What I find interesting, only 30 Kw damaged a small boat. I wonder what the 150 Kw laser will be able to do ?

 

[braindrain]

I dont care who you are. That is pretty dam cool.

 

[US Conservative]

Interesting, besides the anti-ship role I wonder what kind of wound patterns a high energy laser produces. I did once see the remains of someone struck by lightning and it was impressive, but this is light energy not electrical energy.

 

[Skeptic Bob]

And it costs less than $1 per shot!

 

[code1211]

Watch The U.S. Navy


I think this is a huge step.

This is Reagan's Star Wars.

If this is what the public knows about, the working prototypes are way beyond this.

It's possible that ICBM's deployed by other countries have just been obsoleted.

 

[the_recruit]

What I find interesting, only 30 Kw damaged a small boat. I wonder what the 150 Kw laser will be able to do ?

About five times that. :2razz:

 

[ludin]

Interesting, besides the anti-ship role I wonder what kind of wound patterns a high energy laser produces. I did once see the remains of someone struck by lightning and it was impressive, but this is light energy not electrical energy.

probably something along the lines of burns. more than likely it would roast your insides. I am thinking death is almost instant.
it isn't something that I would like to stand in front of if it is doing that to a small boat and taking out drones.

 

[US Conservative]

probably something along the lines of burns. more than likely it would roast your insides. I am thinking death is almost instant.
it isn't something that I would like to stand in front of if it is doing that to a small boat and taking out drones.

The guy I saw who had been struck by lightening was still smoking and both knees had superheated and exploded. In medical terms he was "DRT" (dead right there). This would probably instantly turn the water in your body into steam.

 

[US Conservative]

About five times that. :2razz:

Isn't it logarithmic?

 

[Reformedfindlay]

"Controlled by a video game controller"

Excellent, we can now put fat slobs to use kicking ass and taking numbers, propelling America forth in the age of modern warfare!

A perfect society is a society not just with rights, but with maximizing the potential of everyone to be productive!

 

[PirateMk1]

I've been wondering if it was a pulse or continuous beam weapon.

Does anyone know?

Pulsed would required more exotic power systems designed to provide large amounts of pulsed type power. (homo-polar generators, flywheels, capacitor banks, the like) Most likely that is a continuous beam system. The power supply seems be the existing generators on board ship.

 

[PirateMk1]

"Controlled by a video game controller"

Excellent, we can now put fat slobs to use kicking ass and taking numbers, propelling America forth in the age of modern warfare!

A perfect society is a society not just with rights, but with maximizing the potential of everyone to be productive!

They really need to go to point and click. Joystick type, or manual controllers should be reserved for back up control and fine targeting purposes.

 

[PirateMk1]

The tread title is misleading, the lasers took out a ski boat.

But still promising.

What I find interesting, only 30 Kw damaged a small boat. I wonder what the 150 Kw laser will be able to do ?

30 kw continuous beam in line of sight or with over the horizon reflectors could easily take out all sorts of sensitive things on a modern warship like radar, communications masts, ect. Long enough it could cut a hole in the hull and get to the fuel bunkers or ammo storage.

 

[PirateMk1]

This is Reagan's Star Wars.

If this is what the public knows about, the working prototypes are way beyond this.

It's possible that ICBM's deployed by other countries have just been obsoleted.

Not quite yet. And they can be upgraded and with tactical consideration made more effective against said defense.

 

[PirateMk1]

probably something along the lines of burns. more than likely it would roast your insides. I am thinking death is almost instant.
it isn't something that I would like to stand in front of if it is doing that to a small boat and taking out drones.

The part that is focused on would vaporize and explode violently.

 

[PirateMk1]

Isn't it logarithmic?

Not the beam itself. It scales up and down normally with regard to power. The distance to attenuation is logarithmic.

 

[ludin]

The guy I saw who had been struck by lightening was still smoking and both knees had superheated and exploded. In medical terms he was "DRT" (dead right there). This would probably instantly turn the water in your body into steam.

I am thinking the same thing. it would fry your insides almost instantly. it isn't something I would want to be hit by.
I wonder if they will try a ballistic test to see how much damage is actually caused.

 

[APACHERAT]

30 kw continuous beam in line of sight or with over the horizon reflectors could easily take out all sorts of sensitive things on a modern warship like radar, communications masts, ect. Long enough it could cut a hole in the hull and get to the fuel bunkers or ammo storage.

Is there any defense when it comes to a laser ?

I was talking with a naval officer and the topic was the ships CIW system the Phalanx, does it really work ? Well it has intercepted sub sonic drone targets. But never tested in actual combat.

But how about a Russian SS-N-12 Sandbox antiship missile traveling Mach 2.5 with a 2,000 lb. warhead. If the Phalanx destroys a Sandbox at 1/2 or 1/4 mile from the ship, what about the 11,000 pounds of shrapnel that will continue towards the ship ? He mentioned what would probably happen to the ship's radar, communications masts, ect. :lol:

 

[code1211]

Not quite yet. And they can be upgraded and with tactical consideration made more effective against said defense.

The argument against anti missile missiles was always that it's hard to shoot a bullet using a bullet.

The speed of light is much faster than the speed of a missile.

This is a cause for great hope.

 

[KevinKohler]

I saw this back in the 80s.



Val Kilmer built it in college.