Posted on 01/09/2007 1:58:40 PM PST by holymoly
TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 9, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN) successfully tested a prototype solid-state laser weapon that combines the proven capabilities of the Phalanx weapon system with the power and effectiveness of lasers to defeat rockets, mortars and missiles at an operationally significant range.
The prototype solid-state Laser Area Defense System (LADS) successfully detonated 60-millimeter mortars at a range greater than 550 yards within the tactical timeline in static ground testing conducted in partnership with the United States government. This government-industry team accomplished these groundbreaking prototype tests in less than six months.
The LADS demonstration used a proven, existing, off-the-shelf solid-state laser, coupled with commercially available optics technology. The goal of the demonstration was to rapidly prove that lasers can yield military utility now by demonstrating that such a system could protect warfighters against mortars. Secondary goals of the demonstration were to offer a near-term alternative to chemical lasers, which may create logistics challenges for the warfighter, and to prove that existing optical and targeting components can significantly lower total laser system costs and speed their ultimate transition to the warfighter.
Solid-state laser technology makes LADS safe to the environment, does away with the need for caustic chemicals and radically reduces the life-cycle cost. LADS is highly mobile and has the operational capability to simultaneously engage multiple targets at tactically relevant ranges. The laser system is powered by a commercially available generator or grid electricity and provides an extremely inexpensive, almost infinite magazine for countering mortar and rocket threats.
"In just six short months, Raytheon and government engineers went from an idea to operational field testing of a solid-state laser system that offers the potential of near-term protection for our troops," said Mike Booen, vice president of Advanced Missile Defense and Directed Energy Weapons at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Ariz. "Our solid-state LADS proves you don't have to wait another three to five years for solid-state lasers to have military utility on the battlefield. They are ready now, with no chemicals required."
LADS builds on the Phalanx weapon system to provide fast and precise search, track and engage capabilities for directing the laser energy on target. The next logical step for LADS is dynamic field testing in 2007. Raytheon has produced more than 900 Phalanx systems that fire 20-millimeter armor piercing rounds for 24 nations.
Raytheon Company, with 2005 sales of $21.9 billion, is an industry leader in defense and government electronics, space, information technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people worldwide.
1) On 13 October 1995, the first Review Conference of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons [1] (CCW) adopted during its first session in Vienna [2] a new fourth Protocol entitled "Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons". [3] The 1980 Convention comprises a framework Convention (containing technical provisions such as applicability, entry into force and amendment) and annexed Protocols containing the substantive rules relating to certain weapons. [4] Although many weapons had been discussed during the preparatory stages of this Convention, only three Protocols were adopted in 1980. [5] However, the structure chosen enabled new Protocols to be added in order to accommodate future weapons which needed to be prohibited or otherwise regulated.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was particularly active in the development of the new fourth Protocol. This article outlines the work that the ICRC undertook in order to establish the facts as regards the likely effects of new blinding laser weapons and how the ICRC sought the necessary international support [6] for a new Protocol on these weapons. It then describes the travaux préparatoires for the Protocol, namely the discussions during the Review Conference process that led to the wording of each Article of the new Protocol. [7] Finally it comments on the Protocol's likely influence in banning blinding as a method of warfare.
2)Eye doctors seem upset even about the possibility.
Shades of gas warfare.
We need to update our weapons...That's true in the longer term. For the time being, all we have to do is kill all the Koranimals and the job's done.
That's what I meant by silkworm "derivatives" - Wikipedia has a surprisingly lengthy article on the successor series, dubbed Yingji.
But there was a report during Gulf War II [circa 2003] of a "Silkworm", launced from Iraq, that flew right through our rear guard defenses [in Kuwait, as I recall], unscathed, and would have caused considerable damage, had it been "programmed" to have targetted something of value.
And even way back in the early eighties, in the Falklands War, a frog Exocet, fired by a bunch of third-world morons, was able to take out the Sheffield with ease.
Anyway, absent a vast improvement in anti-missile tech, it's hard to argue that most of the USN's ships are little more than great, big, juicy, slow-moving missile targets.
Unless Phalanx really is the shiznat, you've got to wonder how many of our big boats might go down in a firefight with a determined enemy, like the Chicoms.
[Although I'm suspicious that if a payload can get close enough for a Phalanx to hit it, then it's already close enough to the ship to do whatever damage needs to be done.]
But it may be too little, too late.
There ya go: you might hit it, but the debris is still coming at you, several tons of it, at Mach 2+. What with so much flimsy aluminum used in modern USN ships, it will make confetti of the superstructure. I worked on an unmanned target program a long time ago to develop a supersonic drone to test defensive systems. It was specifically intended to mimic the SSN-22. RAM was in development at the time. Good thing no one has used the Sunburn in anger yet, don't think it would have been stopped.
Imagine pedators or other UAV's equipted with this stuff.
All of which gets back to puppypusher's point in #8 - it would be darned nice to have some lasers to target at these missiles.
It will be interesting how they overcome the fog/haze/crud in the air diffusing the beam. Also, as the laser uses heating effect to kill, how effective will that be with a M2+ missile coming right at you that has already been designed to survive extremely high temps on all leading edges? As I recall, the RAM (RIM) uses IR homing as well as RF and was expected to be the dominant mode. Don't remember what the Sunburn heat level was supposed to be, but it was cooking. Major heating effect from air friction that fast at low level.
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