Pew Pew Pew - 50 Kilowatt Laser Soon

FrgMstr

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
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50 Kilowatt Anti-Aircraft Laser systems are soon to come to the U.S. Military. It seems as if our Boys in Green (or Sand Camo) have successfully deployed and utilized a 5 kilowatt laser in the field during testing with "unmanned aerial system technology." The Army sees 50 kilowatt laster next year, and 100 kilowatt lasers by 2022. The 100KW variety will be used to engage targets such at rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft. It is highly suggested that you do not note "Imperial Storm Trooper" on your upcoming enlistment application if you want to work on this project.

"Both of the laser systems were highly successful," Lt. Gen. James H. Dickinson, Commanding General, United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command and Army Forces Strategic Command, told an audience at the Association of the United States Army’s 299th Institute of Land Warfare Breakfast.
 
In My Lifetime: Self-Driving Cars. Sox won the Series. Speaking with Dogs and Dolphins. My old Mattel Verti-Bird is now an actual helicopter that can fly around the neighborhood via R/C. What a country.
Still Waiting: Penile Transplants. Half Life 3.
 
HeadRusch said:
In My Lifetime: Self-Driving Cars. Sox won the Series. Speaking with Dogs and Dolphins. My old Mattel Verti-Bird is now an actual helicopter that can fly around the neighborhood via R/C. What a country.
Still Waiting: Penile Transplants. Half Life 3.
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legit sexbots hopefully too. amirite? :D
 
Too early for me, I read that as "PAY PER PEW" ... brain does weird weird things when you just skimming through headlines
 
critter42 said:
Now all we need is large quantities of popcorn and aluminum foil.....
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hehehe my friend in high school used a satellite dish and silicon wafer cutting disks to create a giant popcorn cooker. It had a stainless basket in the center where the antenna feed would be. Sucker popped popcorn in 10 seconds flat. You could cook a burger in like 30 seconds. So it was a huge magnifying glass essentially.

He also built the first electric car in our county, this was 1998. A year later he made a magnetic bow rest, never marketed MORON and handheld CFL flashlights. Next up was a gasifier and then then the "cold soldering iron" again never marketed or patented MORON cough. It was so fun going over there, we'd stay up for days inventing stuff. Whole house ran on home made batteries and solar, selling power back to the power company is a win, more people should do it!
 

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I wonder how do you go about getting invited to the Land Warfare Breakfast, it sounds like a blast.
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Just for you Kyle (y)

The Institute of Land Warfare is a sub organization of the AUSA. Sort of a public affairs branch.

https://www.ausa.org/institute-land-warfare

Since the article says this event was the 299th Institute of Land Warfare Breakfast, I am reading that as the 299th breakfast that the Institute has sponsored since their birth in 1988. If they have been hosting these breakfasts for say, the last 25 years and they just had their 299th, I'd say that they are averaging about one breakfast a month. So if they will let you have a membership then I'd say you have a chance at getting waffles and laser fried bacon.

https://www.ausa.org/membership/individual
https://www.ausa.org/membership/individual
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I thought they were already able to bring down helicopters with the lower powered laser that's been mounted to the USS Ponce since 2014?
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Sure, but just like soldiers don't like to get out of the boat, sailors don't like their boats on dry land :sneaky:

Besides a big difference in power source, I think they are getting them pretty compact to be able to mount them on an Armored Car.
 
lcpiper said:
Sure, but just like soldiers don't like to get out of the boat, sailors don't like their boats on dry land :sneaky:

Besides a big difference in power source, I think they are getting them pretty compact to be able to mount them on an Armored Car.
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Understood. I was just commenting on the fact that going to 100KW shouldn't be needed, when much weaker models already do the trick. But maybe the 100KW will take down a helicopter faster. I understand it takes the one on the Ponce a couple of seconds.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Understood. I was just commenting on the fact that going to 100KW shouldn't be needed, when much weaker models already do the trick. But maybe the 100KW will take down a helicopter faster. I understand it takes the one on the Ponce a couple of seconds.
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This is probably due to the need to shoot down even faster movers- US/Allied ships will need something like a high-powered laser to begin thinking about shooting down those (rumored) Mach 7 'carrier killer' missiles that Russia/India/China are working on.
 
..........1 kilowatt, burns a hole through a soda can.

..........50 kilowatts, why is that hole through the wall and look how far it goes.................real genius 1985.

its been done :)
 
back when I worked at HP I saw a laser sitting on a bench. The bench top was 2" thick and about 3' x 8' stone-like material. There was the laser and a few feet away on the same table top was a mirror assemble. The tech turned it on and said to me, watch the digits on the display as you press one finger on the table. As I pressed I saw two of the far right digits climb up. What sensitivity. I worked on spectrum analyzers that the US Navy used - HP had the best instrumentation in the world at least back in the late 80's
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Understood. I was just commenting on the fact that going to 100KW shouldn't be needed, when much weaker models already do the trick. But maybe the 100KW will take down a helicopter faster. I understand it takes the one on the Ponce a couple of seconds.
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Cool, but I don't think they'll stop at 100 KW either. If 10 KW kills small drones, and 100 KW kills helicopters and maybe planes;

will 500 KW kill a tank?

will 1000 KW burn a city?

How much until we can kill a small moon?

main-qimg-12dface4002f491c7dbdb7a458b69892-c
 
This I guess is a help.. but 'pratical' war (by that I mean we go in and crush) is an option going way faster and faster with countries such as China and Russia.
New order is coming, I think that is a fact, I just hope transition is peaceful... would that be the first time ever?
 
_l_ said:
back when I worked at HP I saw a laser sitting on a bench. The bench top was 2" thick and about 3' x 8' stone-like material. There was the laser and a few feet away on the same table top was a mirror assemble. The tech turned it on and said to me, watch the digits on the display as you press one finger on the table. As I pressed I saw two of the far right digits climb up. What sensitivity. I worked on spectrum analyzers that the US Navy used - HP had the best instrumentation in the world at least back in the late 80's
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I believe you. Hp today is known for computers but got their start - in the proverbial silicone valley garage - to make test equipment. Should be known up there with fluke, I dont really understand why not. Were the numbers reading level, pressure or some other factor? Just a bit curious.
 
Wonder what kind of brick wall they will hit with laser power? I mean, think about it...if you have a powerful ass laser and hit something with it, that directed energy is going to vaporize the outer most layers thereby creating a "fog" of vaporized material further inhibiting the laser.

Pulsed maybe?

Screw this laser shit, lets discover nadions and make a goddamn phaser.
 
Khahhblaab said:
I believe you. Hp today is known for computers but got their start - in the proverbial silicone valley garage - to make test equipment. Should be known up there with fluke, I dont really understand why not. Were the numbers reading level, pressure or some other factor? Just a bit curious.
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Q. "Should be known up there with fluke, I dont really understand why not."
A. HP test equipment far exceeded the sophistication of circuitry and accuracy/sensitivity of any other companie's products (or used to, back in the late 80's). We're talking $40k to $80k for a spectrum analyzer that would cost $88k to $175k by today's dollar value. US Navy was a repeat customer, rumor had it they used that analyzer to track ping signatures. Or how about a rack mounted DVM whose display was 0000.000000 +/- 6 counts when referenced to NIST?
Q. "Were the numbers reading level, pressure or some other factor?"
A. The display had digitube digits, not LED (very cool stuff) and was something like 0000.000000 and the last 2 digits would jump around +/- maybe 2 or 3 counts when you pressed your finger on the table top (the top may have been wood core with stone looking laminate - it's been 30 years and I tend to not recall details like that)
Suffice to say that laser setup was fantastically sensitive to any vertical movements whatsoever
Used to be rule of thumb that you needed a test instrument that was 10x more accurate than the equipment you were using it on ... think NASA equipment to build and on the Shuttle and you get an idea where HP stuff was at in the late 80's
 
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