Posted on 03/17/2017 10:08:43 PM PDT by deek69
Lockheed Martin (LMT)said it has finished developing a 60 Kilowatt (kW) laser system and is now getting ready to hand it over to the U.S. Army. The aerospace and defense firm claimed in a press release Thursday that in testing earlier this month the laser beam system achieved a 58kW blast, a world record for a laser of this type.
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
I wonder how well powdered aluminum or aluminized mylar strips would work as ‘chaff’ on dispersing a laser beam like this?
. . . as long as there is no fog of battle . . .
There’s a reason the Zumwalt “destroyers” have larger than normal power generation.
There’s a reason the Zumwalt “destroyers” have larger than normal power generation.
I wonder if Chinese spies have stolen this technology already.
Theres a reason the Zumwalt destroyers have larger than normal power generation.
I think they are slated to start getting one megawatt lasers, starting in 2018. Maybe they could strap on a few of these small turrets on as well, for close in defense, like CWIS.
Solid state diode-pumped fiber optic industrial lasers scaled up to 10 kW with a 6 way beam combiner.
Emissivity of even polished metal surfaces is not zero, so will not reflect enough to prevent heating. As higher wattage lasers are deployed, reflective surfaces will be ever less effective. Smoke or dust likely more effective as a shield.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.