DARPA's 'Star Wars'-style Laser Cannon

SPACE.com ^ | Tuesday, August 30, 2005 | Bill Christensen

[Myrddin]

Because mounting it on an airplane solves the problem of running out of ammunition. While the movies show aircraft blasting away with chainguns for minutes at a time, the truth is that ammunition tends to be heavy and aircraft go through it very quickly. Most aircraft, especially fighters, only have a few seconds of ammo.

Thus the phrase, "the whole 9 yards" referring to the length of a full magazine of belt fed ammo on the aircraft.

[indianaconservative]

One was retired years ago and resides at the USAF museum at Wright-Patterson... Airborne Laser Lab

[Christian4Bush]

Lord Vader will be most pleased!!!!

When you've gotten past the energy shield, proceed directly to the rendezvous point. Understood? Good luck. /Leia, TESB

[Fierce Allegiance]

[Kevin OMalley]

Popcorn, anyone?

[Yasotay]

The system that I was talking about is:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/stingray.htm

Stringray was dangerous in that it was designed to destroy optics.

[Robert A Cook PE]

It's being done.

(Worked on the 3D models of several design, including the original THEL (Tactical HE Lasar) design.

What the writer also doesn't mention is the number of large fuel tanks needed to fire several hundred shots: think four pallet loads of tanks for a "permanent" missile defense "fort". Two more pallet containers for radios, radar search points, and computers.

Early (large) designs weren't really very "mobile" - that's why the USAF likes plane-mounted lasers: all the extra gear can be permanently mounted and aligned inside the C-135 airplane.

[Fierce Allegiance]

"Kent, this is God speaking. KENT!"

[RATkiller]

But electromagnetic radiation is only bent (dispersed concentrated or changed direction) when transiting two media of different refractive indices. So if you match the indices of refraction the light stays on its original course.

[Kozak]

Why don't we use laser's for missile defense on ships and cities? I would think applying the technology to those areas would be a lot easier than trying to mount it on an airplane.

The plan is for area defence on a big 747. The laser carrying AC takes up station near the threat country, say off the coast of North Korea, or Iran. When they launch the altitude of the plane gives them the ability to reach into the other guys territory and destroy the missle in boost phase, with the added benefit that the debris ( which may be radioactive, or have Bio or Chem weapons in it) falls onto the bad guys head.

[SlowBoat407]

But electromagnetic radiation is only bent (dispersed concentrated or changed direction) when transiting two media of different refractive indices. So if you match the indices of refraction the light stays on its original course.

My point exactly. Match the RI, and there's no bending. The liquid is mentioned as having an "angle of refraction", and as far as I know, there's no absolute measurement of a single medium having an angle of refraction. It's only determined when the RI of the adjoining medium is known, and then the angle is measured at the interface.

[RATkiller]

Sorry hit button too soon. I am assuming what is really meant is that the indices of refraction are equal not the "angle" of refraction which has no meaning unless there are two media.

[Laserman]

We actually did it in the late 1970's with the Airborne Laser Lab (ALL). I was a pilot of the ALL.

[Yasotay]

I do not doubt it .... those weird shaped domes on top of the planes on the south end of Boeing Field .... they weren't all AWACS .... I was impressed enough with Stingray.