U.S. Navy Wants Humvee-Mounted Anti-Drone Lasers

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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Messages
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Now they’re talking. Let’s get those anti-drone lasers hooked up and ready to fire from those light armored vehicles. Sounds like something out of a video game, but the US Navy is serious in its interest in mobile laser technology to take out enemy UAV’s.

We can expect that our adversaries will increasingly use UAVs and our expeditionary forces must deal with that rising threat. GBAD gives the Marine Corps a capability to counter the UAV threat efficiently, sustainably and organically with austere expeditionary forces.
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The article doesn't explain why a scaled down surface-to-air missile wouldn't be applicable. I can't imagine it would need much of a payload. Just a small semispherical warhead packed with ball bearings.
 
Laser anythings are so much cooler.

Although I do find it interesting, the US is the only country (to my knowledge) that actively uses drones on such a level that anti-drone equipment would seem prudent... FOR OTHER COUNTRIES TO HAVE, but they want it for themselves too.
 
DedEmbryonicCe11 said:
The article doesn't explain why a scaled down surface-to-air missile wouldn't be applicable. I can't imagine it would need much of a payload. Just a small semispherical warhead packed with ball bearings.
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Surface to air missiles use physical ammo that requires replacement after the ammo is depleted whereas a laser requires stored energy which can be regenerated without hitting a resupply area as long as there's fuel for the engine driving the generator.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Laser anythings are so much cooler.

Although I do find it interesting, the US is the only country (to my knowledge) that actively uses drones on such a level that anti-drone equipment would seem prudent... FOR OTHER COUNTRIES TO HAVE, but they want it for themselves too.
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I think countries have plans to have drones at the same level as the U.S. has now or even more so. It's only a matter of time, and the U.S. is anticipating it.
 
madmat said:
Surface to air missiles use physical ammo that requires replacement after the ammo is depleted whereas a laser requires stored energy which can be regenerated without hitting a resupply area as long as there's fuel for the engine driving the generator.
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Also a SAM can be shot down or avoided. A laser is instant.
 
The real question for me is why the hell are HUMVEEs combat vehicles to begin with? Originally they were meant to get GI Joes from point A to point B cheaply in friendly territory, just like the old WW2 jeeps.

At some point though, it seems the hummers have been turned into primary assault vehicles, and then we say well they don't have enough armament, and they don't have enough guns, and they are now too slow because they are so heavy, so they get a more expensive suspension and power upgrades, and at some point you're pretty close to just having a damn wheeled armored personnel carrier... except hobbled together from something never meant to be that.

So why don't we just leave the hummers alone and make more APCs? I don't get it.

Stryker_US-Army_news_23012007_001.jpg


Mount your lasers on this thing, and stop deploying hummers in combat.
 
Ducman69 said:
The real question for me is why the hell are HUMVEEs combat vehicles to begin with? Originally they were meant to get GI Joes from point A to point B cheaply in friendly territory, just like the old WW2 jeeps.

At some point though, it seems the hummers have been turned into primary assault vehicles, and then we say well they don't have enough armament, and they don't have enough guns, and they are now too slow because they are so heavy, so they get a more expensive suspension and power upgrades, and at some point you're pretty close to just having a damn wheeled armored personnel carrier... except hobbled together from something never meant to be that.

So why don't we just leave the hummers alone and make more APCs? I don't get it.

Stryker_US-Army_news_23012007_001.jpg


Mount your lasers on this thing, and stop deploying hummers in combat.
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Its the increase in urban warfare, Hummers are more maneuverable and can get to places APCs cannot.
Believe it or not, many cities, towns and villages throughout the world don't have 2 lane wide paved roads we can take huge vehicles down every time we see fit.
What we need is another option, a smaller and faster armored vehicle designed specifically for urban combat. Problem is, until we get one Hummers are the closest thing we have to it.
 
I've worked with and tested vehicle (including hmmwv, and even an M60 Patton) mounted laser systems for remote ordnance disruption. I would not want to rely on one in a combat situation with an enemy drone inbound.
 
Ducman69 said:
The real question for me is why the hell are HUMVEEs combat vehicles to begin with? Originally they were meant to get GI Joes from point A to point B cheaply in friendly territory, just like the old WW2 jeeps.
.
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You should watch The Pentagon Wars. It was about the Bradley.
 
Can a humvee carry enough juice to power a laser that's strong enough to punch through the atmospheric contaminants (dust), and burn through the reflective coating of a white fiberglass drone?

On that note:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rC_Puj62U4

COOL!!! I think i can put that together, i just need to find a 2W laser. Those drones don't have a chance!

But instead of an ED209, use this guy for the audio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihYH7jDvc9A
"Look! Look! I shot down a Phantom! Did i do good? Yaaaaay!" ^___^

Hmm, kinda getting sidetracked.
 
=Gunslinger= said:
What would the Navy have need of Hummers for?

Isn't that the Army's turf? :D
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They are developing the tech for the MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force) used to be the Marine Amphibious Force.
Navy and Marines are combined in many respects, hence the Eagle Globe and Anchor.
 
I wasn't aware that the Big-Bad-Evil-Brown-People-Who-Talk-Funny-and-Don't-Love-Jesus© were engaging in drone combat, or is there a new 'Bad Guy' out there now?
 
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