Posted on 02/17/2014 7:45:26 PM PST by blam
The US Navy Is Ready To Deploy A Futuristic Laser Weapon That's Been Likened To 'Star Wars'
David Sharp, Associated Press
Febuary 16,2014
BATH, Maine (AP) Some of the Navy's futuristic weapons sound like something out of "Star Wars," with lasers designed to shoot down aerial drones and electric guns that fire projectiles at hypersonic speeds.
That future is now.
The Navy plans to deploy its first laser on a ship later this year, and it intends to test an electromagnetic rail gun prototype aboard a vessel within two years.
For the Navy, it's not so much about the whiz-bang technology as it is about the economics of such armaments. Both costs pennies on the dollar compared with missiles and smart bombs, and the weapons can be fired continuously, unlike missiles and bombs, which eventually run out.
"It fundamentally changes the way we fight," said Capt. Mike Ziv, program manager for directed energy and electric weapon systems for the Naval Sea Systems Command.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Great video that explains the projectile. Shows the armature and sabot on an aerodynamic round.
http://www.military.com/video/guns/naval-guns/railgun-update-from-general-atomics/904431955001/
>> Thats not going to help much against enemy missiles fired at the ship from long distances
How is distance a factor?
>> we piss it away by superficial counterintelligence work so as not to offend anyone.
For a second there, I thought you were going to mention Snowden.
The speed is so great that it turns the air to plasma. It’s friction and oxygen, nothing more is needed.
You get one free with your flying car.
“And the Chinese or Russians will steal it over the weekend.”...........
They certainly don’t need to “steal” it, Clinton already gave them first right of refusal, the blue prints and access to all our technicians who developed it. (sarc)
I’m personally all for this technology PROVIDING we have leaders who will allow its use on the appropriate targets, our enemies and NOT our own people.
Rail gun I can see, provided it can fire rapidly. The laser??
Rail gun? that’s a joke.
The navy has been screwing with the development of a rail gun so long it is now obsolete even if it was deployable. The rail gun is a black money hole. It sucks in money but nothing ever comes out
Energy disperses with distance and more-so in an atmosphere.
Think of your flashlight or even a pointer laser.
And at long distances the atmosphere does all sorts of things to it like refraction.
This says it will be limited to about a mile. It says its major benefit is low cost per shot, defensive missiles are very expensive.
The intended use of the LaWS is ship-defense against drones or small-boat attackers (whether suicidal or not); the LaWS at present is not designed to engage incoming missiles, large aircraft, ships, or submerged objects.
..... If tests go well, the Navy could deploy a laser weapon operationally between 2017 and 2021 with an effective range of 1 mi (1.6 km; 0.87 nmi).
Laser Weapon System
My favorite show when I was a kids.
How do you figure?
Physics 101
See #49 (and# 50)
they’re going to need portable nuclear reactors onboard their ships to provide the energy needed to fire those weapons continuously.
Hahaha. They just don't MAKE'em like Foghorn anymore, do they?
You are really missing the point. We don’t need to intercept the missiles at their point of origin, we need to destroy them when in range of the ship. Lasers are do not need an effective range of more than a mile to be very effective for that task, in fact, the point defenses we have no do not have that type of range. Then the rail gun can destroy the launch site.
Among the limitations, according to the research service, is that lasers are not effective in bad weather because the beam can be disturbed or scattered by water vapor, as well as by smoke, sand, and dust. It is also a “line of sight” weapon, meaning that the target has to be visible, so it cannot handle threats over the horizon. And enemies can take countermeasures like coating vessels and drones with reflective surfaces. Navy officials acknowledge that the first prototype weapon to be deployed is not powerful enough to take on jet fighters or missiles on their approach.
To take down a jet or missile, a laser beam would have to be at least 100 kilowatts, the strength “generally considered militarily mature,” says Spencer Ackerman at Wired. At a megawatt of power, a laser “can burn through 20 feet of steel in a second
WATCH: The U.S. Navy shoots down a drone with a laser cannon (This Week )
Generally speaking, if they are talking about a weapon platform that is "near deploy able" then they probably have passed most of the technological hurdles.
That particular episode was the in Sargasso Sea, graveyard of ships. The Lizardmen.
SOL - I found the group you were talking about that had Jonny Quest removed due to "use of guns, violence, monsters," etc. See below.
Sounds JUST like the typical worthless POS liberal douchebags we have now...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonny_Quest_%28TV_series%29
",,,Jonny Quest became a target of parental watchdog group Action for Children's Television (ACT) for its multiple onscreen deaths, murder attempts, use of firearms and deadly weapons, depictions of monsters, and tense moments..."
So even back then, they were starting to emasculate boys.
Which makes sense, as it was the whole Marxist cultural revolution thing.
Looks like my lawnmower...
Grass don’t stand a chance, not nohows....
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