Sarge Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/28/wlaser128.xml The United States Defence Department has developed a prototype of an aircraft armed with a laser gun that could destroy tanks 10 miles away. The weapon is capable of destroying targets up to 15km (10m) away, according to Defense Update online magazine. The ten-centimetre-wide beam will heat targets almost instantly to thousands of degrees and will slice through metal even at maximum range. It is intended both for battlefield use and for missile defense. It is anticipated the beam will be adjustable, allowing the gunner to choose between, for example, targeting a vehicle's fuel tank to destroy it utterly, or slice through a tyre to bring it to a halt without injuring the driver. The laser will be housed in a rotating turret attached to the underside of the aircraft and will be aimed independently of the plane. Early tests have focused on testing the rotation of the laser housing. So far the laser itself has not been tested in flight, but first trials are expected during 2008. Tests on a laser for destroying vehicles will be carried out on the prototype based on the C-130 "Hercules" transport aircraft. A separate version of the missile will be trialled on a Boeing 747. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike619 Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 Thats not a C-130 first off. Second off, can that thing kill baby seals and start tire fires? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 Cool!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted March 29, 2008 Author Share Posted March 29, 2008 Thats not a C-130 first off.Second off, can that thing kill baby seals and start tire fires? From 10 miles away :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cskin Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 Sweet...gas up the planes and set the coordinates for Washington DC.... preferably the Senate Office buildings and the Federal Reserve Bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 Drones ,lasers,ray guns,plasma weapons,robots...welcome to the future. For the laser to be really efficient I think it have to be reduced in size. Fit it in a Raptor and I will be impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike619 Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 From 10 miles away :laugh: Bitter...party of me!! :laugh: From a military standpoint though that is a HUGE step in the right direction. The less we have to send actual people in there to destroy our enemy the happier that makes me. Pretty soon we will have sattelites that will be able to do it from space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Touchdown Redskins Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 Man, what'll they think of next? Sharks with freakin' laser beams on their heads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aREDSKIN Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 Just wait until we can strap this puppy onto a plane. HERCULES Laser is Most Intense Laser in the Universe, Almost as Powerful as the Death Star "If you could hold a giant magnifying glass in space and focus all the sunlight shining toward Earth onto one grain of sand, that concentrated ray would approach the intensity of a new laser beam made in a University of Michigan laboratory." - Physorg If that doesn't amaze you, you need a slap. The HERCULES laser can produce that intensity instantaneously, and it is said to be the most intense known light in the universe. The beam is sustained for 30 femtoseconds, with one femtosecond being equivalent to a million billionth of a second. So, it lasts longer than you do in bed, and it also performs a little better, too. However, this isn't Dr Robotnik having a wacky time for no use, it is hoped that the research will give rise to powerful cancer treatments, and when we say powerful, we do mean 300 terawatts of power, with an inconceivable, 20 billion trillion watts per square centimeter. What is that equivalent to? An astonishing, 300 times the capacity of the U.S. electricity grid. All of that energy is concentrated into a 1.3-micron point, which is roughly 100th the diameter of a human hair. Victor Yanovsky, who spearheaded the laser's development, says the HERCULES is around two orders more powerful than its nearest competing laser. A beam can be generated once every 10 seconds, and the entire contraption accommodates several rooms, is constructed from titanium-sapphire and the light that enters at one end is processed by mirrors and other optical elements. This results in an increase in the energized quality of focused light. The high intensity light, beyond medical uses, could also be implemented in crazy physics based procedures called "boiling the vacuum," which will apparently result in spontaneous matter generation. Crazy. Let's hope no one hell-bent on world domination starts attempting to put together a real Death Star, or we'll all be screwed. May the Force be with you. (Note to self: End more articles with that line.) [university of Michigan via Physorg] http://gizmodo.com//hercules-laser-is-most-intense-laser-in-the-universe-almost-as-powerful-as-the-death-star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskinss Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 i wish i knew how to post pictures, i would put up a picture of val kilmer in real genius. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike619 Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 i wish i knew how to post pictures, i would put up a picture of val kilmer in real genius. You know I was thinking that too!! Kent...this is God... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 Just wait until we can strap this puppy onto a plane. i I can see it now,, the gallant pilot uses the Hercules laser to destroy the enemy, and now has nowhere to land because Earth is gone. Oops! instant matter generation, that's a nifty one,,, monsters from the ninth dimension! ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raub Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 I thought that was being developed as part of the missile defense system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 I thought that was being developed as part of the missile defense system. It is (or are you talking about HERCULES?),but this application can be used to destroy missiles on the launchers(since we can't deploy space based ones to do so) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted March 29, 2008 Author Share Posted March 29, 2008 Drones ,lasers,ray guns,plasma weapons,robots...welcome to the future.For the laser to be really efficient I think it have to be reduced in size. Fit it in a Raptor and I will be impressed. I'd rather see it on a Predator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashback Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 Cool! Now all we have to do is get our enemies to ride around in tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike619 Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 Cool! Now all we have to do is get our enemies to ride around in tanks. we could sell them our old ones and not only kill our enemy but make money from it as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 With the HERCULES laser the pulse only lasts 20 femtoseconds. So that actual amount of energy being delivered is very, very small. The interesting aspect is that the energy is so concentrated. It is possibly great for studying bizarre properties of matter-laser interaction or even frying a cancer cell, but not as a weapon. Sorry to be Debbie Downer on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 I'd rather see it on a Predator The AC-130 and 747 are used because this is a chemical laser which needs a lot of fuel. The laser itself will likely weigh thousands of pounds too. I would think a raptor and predator are out of the question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 With the HERCULES laser the pulse only lasts 20 femtoseconds. So that actual amount of energy being delivered is very, very small. The interesting aspect is that the energy is so concentrated.It is possibly great for studying bizarre properties of matter-laser interaction or even frying a cancer cell, but not as a weapon. Sorry to be Debbie Downer on this. I don't know the tech aspects of this, but a small amount of energy, delivered to a fuel tank, could be devastating, right? Sounds pretty lethal to me.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACW Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 While this seems badass, 2 questions: 1) How will it even DETECT a tank 10 miles away? 2) What's a "tyre"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike619 Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 While this seems badass, 2 questions:1) How will it even DETECT a tank 10 miles away? 2) What's a "tyre"? here is an interesting article from 02 that could help explain some of this. http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2002/021020-laser1.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateCitySkin Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 why does that photo look totally photoshopped? anyways, how good is all this new technology when people these days just strap themselves with bombs and blow themselves up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted March 29, 2008 Share Posted March 29, 2008 I don't know the tech aspects of this, but a small amount of energy, delivered to a fuel tank, could be devastating, right?Sounds pretty lethal to me.... The energy involved is very small. If it hit your beer you wouldn't note a difference in temperature. I suppose it might create a micro hole in a tank, but if it is a tiny fraction of the size of a human hair ... ? The original post is about a laser that does have some serious energy and lasts for much longer (billions of times longer). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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