Laser Defense Turret

Warning, do not stare directly into the operational end of the device, do not touch the operational end of the device, the device is proven to keep working until 345 degrees kelvin.

### Experience Value

75112 (Veteran)

158 (Elite)

244 (Heroic)

## Introduction

The **Laser Defense Turret** is the basic tier 1 anti-armor and anti-air defense of General Townes.

## Overview

Laser Defense Turret is a AT-AA Defense Turret that has a "laser pistol"-shaped turret installed on a decagon support base. It is armed with a potent laser cannon in 500-1000 degrees (depending on what type of prisms is used) that can penetrate light armor. It is also equipped with micro cameras to detect any hurling artillery shells or rockets in order to intercept them. The LDT has a rather annoying ability: It has an on-board AI that can seeks out whether anything it "sees" is a human being or not. If it is a human being, it will purposely reduce its temperature to temperatures safe enough to avoid second-degree burns (about 50-70 degrees) via adjusting its integrated power control system. Oddly enough, small solar panels can be installed on the turret as its secondary power supply.

After being tired of the old Laser Defense Turret, Townes decided to put the new LDT to the test. The Laser Defense Turret is a small laser cannon platform with a pistol-shaped chassis installed on a circular base. However, in order to avoid breaking Geneva Conventions on laser weapons, Townes had to install an AI so that the LDT will only shoot low temperature beams when it detects an enemy infantry running into its range.

This precaution has caused the LDT to become available to the public in the security sector due to it's "automatic lethality reduction" ability. In fact, LDTs can be seen installed in various civilian places such as museums, art exhibitions, vaults, police stations and even jewelry stores across the USA as an ultimate burglar deterrent unit that fires low-powered laser beams at an intruder although one unit of these costs about 1000$ (although 4-5 of those can instantly set a person on fire). Most of the time, this turret would destroy a burglar's vehicle such as a car or a bulldozer trying to break into a facility but it would shoot a low temperature beam repeatedly at the burglar rather like torturing a convict with metal rods dipped with hot water to chastise him/her away.

This has made LDT a big hit on security sector and Townes scored a significant profit of 10 thousand dollars a month by selling at average 100 000 of these for civilian use (90% of the price is the cost of LDT's production and used to fund the US Military budget). Other countries are also interested on USA's latest security unit but he is the only one allowed to sell it (as he mostly decreed so) and he forbids any other nation for reproducing it in fear that the LDT could eventually turn against him.

While being notably more power hungry than the Patriot Missile Battery, the Laser Defense Turret makes up for that with its high firepower and excellent accuracy, it will never miss its intended target, and its attack cannot be neutralized or diverted like the Patriot's missiles. The Laser Defense Turret is highly effective at countering ground vehicles and aircrafts, its laser is capable of cutting though armor like knife through hot butter. The high power consumption can be somewhat negated with the help of more Reactors and the Solar Panels upgrade.

For balancing purposes, the Laser Defense Turret is no longer effective against infantries, and shooting at them will only mildly annoy them. So it's advised to keep several anti-infantry units like Valanxes or Microwave Tanks around.

## Assessment

Pros:

* Very effective against ground vehicles and aircraft.
* Always pinpoint accurate.
* Attacks cannot be neutralized by ECM or PDL.
* Can intercept small rockets and artillery shells.

Cons:

* High power consumption of 4 points compared to the Patriot's 3.
* Can be destroyed by ballistic-typed General’s Powers.
* Ineffective against infantry.