Boeing Tests IED Blasting Laser

DoD Buzz ^ | 12/03/2009 | Greg Grant

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Some defense thinkers believe directed energy weapons, lasers, hold out real battlefield promise, particularly against future enemies armed with large numbers of relatively cheap precision guided weapons. For example, the folks at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington say lasers provide a potential solution to the so called G-RAMM (guided rockets, artillery, mortars and missiles) problem. Using missiles to shoot down incoming rounds can get very costly and a counter G-RAMM arsenal can be rapidly depleted; lasers solve the finite counter-munition arsenal problem.

Granted, directed energy weapons are not ready for prime time, although they are getting closer. Boeing has been developing a laser system mounted on the Avenger vehicle, an air defense version of the ubiquitous Humvee; in stock form, the Avenger comes with Stinger missiles and a .50 cal machine gun. In tests over the last couple of years, the Laser Avenger has shot down a couple of small aerial drones.

In September, Boeing says Laser Avenger destroyed 50 IEDs in tests sponsored by the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The IEDs included large-caliber artillery munitions and smaller bomblets and mortar rounds, according to Boeing, and the laser fired at the rounds from different ranges and angles.

[Husker24]

Well, If you can see an IED, your obviously not going to drive by it, so for that its no better than putting a few slugs in it.

[WLR]

Stuff that has been on the back burner for 20+ years.

Of course dumping wheeled crapmobiles and getting off the road would solve the problem NOW.. But since we already have Tens of Thousands of Tracked Armored Vehicles in inventory sitting here in the US and abroad as Prepositioned War Stocks.. How would our Con gressmen and Women get rich on new contracts..

Better American Troops should die than to use what we already have in inventory and get off the Damn Roads wher 40 plus percent of all American Troop are Killed our wounded/disabled. (That represents more than 1000 Troops and Marines killed our wounded/disabled because a bunch of Girly Men Generals will not get our men off the roads.

W