Laser guns are almost here

[DOC_Agren]

[misterecho]

from spaceballs

Dark Helmet: Careful you idiot! I said across her nose, not up it!
Laser Gunner: Sorry sir! I'm doing my best!
Dark Helmet: Who made that man a gunner?
Major Asshole: I did sir. He's my cousin.
Dark Helmet: Who is he?
Colonel Sandurz: He's an asshole sir.
Dark Helmet: I know that! What's his name?
Colonel Sandurz: That is his name sir. Asshole, Major Asshole!
Dark Helmet: And his cousin?
Colonel Sandurz: He's an asshole too sir. Gunner's mate First Class Philip Asshole!
Dark Helmet: How many asholes do we have on this ship, anyway?
[Entire bridge crew stands up and raises a hand]
Entire Bridge Crew: Yo!
Dark Helmet: I knew it. I'm surrounded by assholes!
[Dark Helmet pulls his face shield down]
Dark Helmet: Keep firing, assholes!

[Onix]

There have been a lot of interesting laser advancements. I've been following the news on them and tracking how much power lasers need to put out to do damage in game.

This is interesting A larger surface area of the laser beam heats up an object quicker with less energy.

Now I happened on info about the ZEUS laser. It can destroy a mine or IED in 5-30 seconds at 300meters. It's optical power? 500 Watts. I'm starting to feel a little better. That means that even at a distance 500 Watts creates real heat on target. What would it do to a person? I have no idea, nobody has used it that way yet.

Looking at the 20Kw laser video I'm noticing that it detonates the mortar in a second or less. It's doing that to what must be thin sheet steel and starts to heat the interior cherry red. That would do a significant amount of damage, I have no idea how to quantify it. Over a full ten seconds the damage would be much more.

This article shows that a 1Kw laser can take down a small UAV. . .

Here's an example of what a c-130 mounted Megawatt laser can do. In five seconds it burns through the hood and engine of a truck. I wish I had more info on how high the plane was flying, then I could incorporate that into range class information.

One of the commentors says that this is only a 100Kw laser. Interesting.

And then their is this thought

cyclonexu
10/26/09 at 1:04 pm
Again this weapon makes O sense..A billion dollar weapons system to punch holes through 1980's Toyota pick-up trucks..REALLY? Whats the benefit? We are not fighting time traveling cyborgs here...NO we are fighting afghan hillbillies who live in mudd hutts and packing soviet era AK-47s and (maybe) a beat up RPG...To hell with lasers (cost to much) Whats the price tag on using a C-130 cargo aircraft to drop pallets of cinder blocks from 30 thousand feet? I would be a lot more afraid of a shower of cider blocks raining down around me than some stupid over priced laser that might work half the time.

I think his weapon concept has merit.

This is moving along faster than I was thinking. all that blu-ray player technology is mounting up!

[cjoki]

They are also working on the railgun....
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig& ... 41fd3bd8af

[Onix]

Whoo hoo! A high power FEL!

[Chainsaw Aardvark]

Various news outlets reported a couple of days ago scientists at Yale created and . But don't celebrate yet - the interview specifically points out it wouldn't work as ray gun armor. However, it does have important implications in the field of optical computing. Now you may begin rejoicing.

[Onix]

More laser news. The navy "disabled" a small boat with a laser. Um, go lasers?

[Chainsaw Aardvark]

Does this mean I'm going to lose my bet that they'll deploy rail-guns before Directed Energy Weapons?

Actually, I'm a little disappointed. The video from BBC doesn't give hints as to range, or relative movement, but does hint at a fairly long dwell time on a black object. Lasers are pretty inefficient for naval use, and I would've hoped the money developing this was spent in a more constructive manner.

Space navies are a bit of a different story through. Can we please develop the space cruiser before its main guns?

[Rob Lang]

Sadly, CA, I think space navies are a little way down the line. Unless someone discovers oil in space.

[misterecho]

what about the possible energy possibilities of . As the price of oil becomes astronomical, alternative energy sources like H3 may become viable options.

Or am I simply dreaming?