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Blasting The Air In Front Of Hypersonic Vehicles With Lasers Could Unlock Unprecedented Speeds
The Drive ^ | September 24, 2020 | By Brett Tingley

Posted on 09/28/2020 4:53:13 AM PDT by BenLurkin

Over the last decade, two of the most significant topics in defense research and development have been directed energy systems and hypersonic weapons. The Department of Defense and its major contractors have been pushing the boundaries of what is possible with these technologies and those efforts could someday soon literally change the face of warfare forever.

As it turns out, these two cutting edge areas of defense research are beginning to converge in laboratories with the goal of enabling unprecedented levels of speed for aerial weapons. By combining advanced directed energy technology with the latest in hypersonic vehicle design, researchers in private and Department of Defense (DoD) funded laboratories have laid the groundwork for systems designed to literally sheathe an entire vehicle in laser and/or microwave-induced plasma in order to drastically reduce drag. If successfully developed, this concept may someday lead to new frontiers in speed and radical new forms of aerodynamic control and aircraft design.

As the world’s military superpowers jockey for position in a new arms race, hypersonic technologies have been pushed to the forefront of defense and aerospace research. These vehicles and weapons represent a true leap-ahead capability, enabling flight speeds that can outpace even the most advanced and robust air defense systems. It’s one thing to intercept and destroy a ballistic missile falling on an arcing path, but it’s another thing entirely to attempt to intercept a projectile moving at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound while executing abrupt changes in trajectory. It's no surprise that hypersonic systems are becoming integral to the United States' military's future strategy in key theaters such as the Indo-Pacific region.

(Excerpt) Read more at thedrive.com ...


TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: hypersonic; lasers
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1 posted on 09/28/2020 4:53:13 AM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

bkmk


2 posted on 09/28/2020 4:57:43 AM PDT by sauropod (I will not comply.)
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To: BenLurkin

Somebody must’ve paid this guy to write this.

Budget time again.


3 posted on 09/28/2020 4:59:06 AM PDT by sauropod (I will not comply.)
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To: BenLurkin

Makes sense to me.


4 posted on 09/28/2020 5:04:14 AM PDT by mylife (Opinions: $1, Today's Special, Half Baked: 50c)
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To: BenLurkin

As we used to say in the Navy “make a hole..”


5 posted on 09/28/2020 5:05:52 AM PDT by mylife (Opinions: $1, Today's Special, Half Baked: 50c)
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To: BenLurkin

Warp speed? Deflector shield?


6 posted on 09/28/2020 5:13:51 AM PDT by redshawk ( I want my red balloon. ( https://youtu.be/V12H2mteniE))
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To: sauropod

Exactly the same idea as Star Trek Hyper Warp Drive. Using contemporary warp technology, disrupt the envelope surrounding and in front of the craft then transport itself forward.

Scotty: “and if my Grandmother has wheels, she’d be a wagon”


7 posted on 09/28/2020 5:18:57 AM PDT by epluribus_2 (He, had the best mom - ever.)
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To: BenLurkin

In other words, all those UFOs seen making impossible turns at impossible speeds were secret military aircraft.


8 posted on 09/28/2020 5:20:43 AM PDT by Fai Mao (There is no justice until The PIAPS is legally executed)
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To: BenLurkin

Warp speed Scotty. Give me all she’s got.


9 posted on 09/28/2020 5:21:16 AM PDT by redangus
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To: BenLurkin

10 posted on 09/28/2020 5:21:59 AM PDT by nesnah (Liberals - the petulant children of politics)
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To: redangus

11 posted on 09/28/2020 5:24:06 AM PDT by mylife (Opinions: $1, Today's Special, Half Baked: 50c)
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To: redangus

Ye canna ney break the laws of physics laddie.


12 posted on 09/28/2020 5:27:07 AM PDT by wally_bert (Transmission tone, Selma)
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To: BenLurkin

It is always so neat to give your enemies trade secrets.


13 posted on 09/28/2020 5:40:33 AM PDT by odawg
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To: sauropod

Somebody must’ve paid this guy to write this.


vehicles?


14 posted on 09/28/2020 5:45:53 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere.)
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To: BenLurkin

15 posted on 09/28/2020 5:47:10 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: BenLurkin

something about the shape affects it in ways that are amazing.

I have a ‘torpedo’ shaped toy for the swimming pool. If you push it underwater it will seem to glide effortlessly all the way to the other side of the pool. I always find that incredible as to how it works- it’s like there is no resistance and it’s just made of hard rubber.


16 posted on 09/28/2020 5:48:20 AM PDT by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing obamacare is worse than obamacare itself)
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To: BenLurkin

Sounds cheap too.


17 posted on 09/28/2020 5:51:13 AM PDT by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: BenLurkin
There was an analogy of this idea that is being pursued by the Russians, and I presume our guys as well, to make a torpedo travel at hundreds of miles per hour underwater by blowing bubbles in front of it.


18 posted on 09/28/2020 5:52:48 AM PDT by Yo-Yo ( is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: sauropod

Somebody must’ve paid this guy to write this.


Just another FR drive-by comment

Its a military site with no connection to the US military in any form. They review and explain various pieces of equipment and military incidents.


19 posted on 09/28/2020 6:00:14 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: odawg

If it is in the public domain, they already have something else


20 posted on 09/28/2020 6:01:39 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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