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To: joe fonebone
...then, suddenly, all info on this weapon system just disappeared...I would have to assume that this system is active...

DEW(Directed Energy Weapons) systems in testing are not operational/deployed combat systems yet. A combat environment poses challenges that cannot be duplicated in testing, especially on the high seas.

That having been said, the Navy Labs/DARPA recently completed a successful test of what could be Holy Grail of DEW, the Free Electron Laser(FEL). The difficulty with using lasers in free space is that certain wavelengths are attenuated by the atmosphere at differing altitudes. If I understand this correctly, a laser is tuned to a fixed, specific frequency before use and the effectiveness is restricted accordingly. The FEL can be tuned on-the-fly to overcome this handicap. Not only this, as opposed to the chemical lasers of the Air Force's Airborne Laser which must have their chemicals reconstituted after twenty firings, the FEL can fire as long as there is sufficient electricity to power it. Arm a nuclear carrier with one of these powered by its reactor and it has an unlimited magazine with the potential of also being an effective satellite killer. Supersonic and even hypersonic ASMs would not stand a chance an FEL.

An interesting side note is that a laser is also known as a high-frequency photon maser, which contracts to phaser.

30 posted on 02/15/2011 7:08:46 AM PST by Tonytitan
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To: Tonytitan

Cool information....did you know we shot down a 155mm shell in flight with one of these thingies, about 8 years ago???If you are given this info, what do you think of the possiblity that these thingies are already deployed???


44 posted on 02/15/2011 10:11:31 AM PST by joe fonebone (The House has oversight of the Judiciary...why are the rogue judges not being impeached?)
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