http://gma.yahoo.com/navys-laser-weapon-blasts-bad-215808231.html



WTF.

user was warned for this useless topic creation

and also gratuitously overlong link

army invents new superweapon: URL so big it can destroy any topic in existence

Laser weapons aren't really new, we've had anti-missile lasers and anti-mortar lasers for some time now, this is neat though, looks like a good idea.

The Navy also has a railgun with an effective range further than the curvature of the earth allows them to target...


The forces of North Korea will be powerless against it with their small computer screens.

Neither new nor super. It's an anti-air device at the moment, and it's probably not very effective against things with decent armor.

This is a fairly "simple" extension of existing technologies. As far as I'm aware, this uses the fire control radar from a Phalanx CIWS and an essentialy commercial laser. Interestingly, I can't seem to find any specs for the actual power of the laser, though given the class of vessel there's an absolute upper boundary of 18MW, and that would be 100% of the ship's operating power diverted to the laser, an absolute impossibility. I'd say, given everything else on board the ship, I'd put an upper boundary on the power of the laser at ~3MW.

Also, HKU, there are no things that this is designed to stop with "decent" armor. If it's an aircraft, then it's either A: slow enough to hit with a missile/intercept with an aircraft, or B: weak enough to kill with a laser. If it's a boat, the exact same logic applies. This tech would really, really shine if it were as capable of the Centurion C-RAM, but I doubt the laser has a strong enough duty cycle to counter a mortar barrage.

Just saying, it's cool and accurate, but it's hardly a "super" weapon.

Uh oh,

do you work in a government lab somewhere?

should I have not asked that just now?

I wouldn't say so. Grif is just well informed like usual. But he is right. I'd say that this is just a "look what we have" kind of move from the US navy.

Well he was in active duty for a while and also he just knows these things

Someone please delete this dreadful topic

someone please delete this dreadful person

holy ♥♥♥♥ this please

"WTF"? Good job kickstarting the discussion brohem.

I thought so.