Boeing Humvee mounted Laser shoots down aircraft | MacRumors Forums
Boeing Humvee mounted Laser shoots down aircraft
Discussion in 'Politics, Religion, Social Issues' started by rasmasyean, Jan 30, 2009.
rasmasyean, Jan 30, 2009
Looks like were approaching a new age of warfare. Aerial advantage will be turned into a deathtrap. Maybe flying lead will join the arrow and the dart.
How do you think this will this change what we know about armed conflict?
you have no idea what's ahead, Star Wars type stuff
takao, Jan 31, 2009
we will see a lot of really shiny aircrafts in the future
BoyBach, Jan 31, 2009
Introducing the all new Lockheed Martin 'Flying Mirror'!
skunk, Jan 31, 2009
Only of any use in shooting down slow-flying drones where you have a chance to focus on the target for a considerable time. Utterly useless against fast-flying jets.
t0mat0, Jan 31, 2009
A lot of these tests give the weapon a big advantage. As mentioned - to have the capability to take a plan down quickly even if it takes evasive action would be something better.
Sounds a bit likesome testing of ballistic defence - nice money earner, but not foolproof yet.
Its a first step, 10 years from now it wil be fast jets.
rasmasyean, Jan 31, 2009
I guess it's "low flying jets". Because high flying fast planes won't need fast turret. But then there's AAA for those WW2 style bombing runs.
Then you put anti laser coating on planes, then they make anti anti laser coating lasers. War is a endless cycle we have been doing since day 1.
No wonder ET wants nothing to do with us except an occasional DNA sample. Lets see have they given up their warlike behavior we have been checking on for the past 2,000 years? Nope still there.
iJohnHenry, Jan 31, 2009
Soon, the drone had a hole burnt through it -- and was crashing down to the desert.
Only of any use in shooting down slow-flying drones where you have a chance to focus on the target for a considerable time.
bruinsrme, Jan 31, 2009
of the energy is strong enough putting a hole in a wing, engine or stabilizer, rupturing a fule line or tank may cause enough damage to bring down a plane.
there is a local company that is welding with lasers. instead of fusing two pieces of metal what about puncturing a single layer of metal
I don't know about that..... With the way our tracking systems can lock on to fast moving items and keep up with them. I don't think this will be 10 years away at all. 2-3 at most. This was just a test remember. Heck just look at our defense systems in our navel fleet. We have guns that track missiles and shoot them down.
Just doing a quick google search, I found that in 2000 the Army used a laser to shoot down a missile. So the technology is there and has been there.
The last one is about a laser shooting down a mortar round.
The only question is, how long before this gets mounted on a shark?
quagmire, Jan 31, 2009
The laser will find its way to a 767 or a similar platform for this weapon. Dogfights had a show talking about this weapon.
Fast forward to 7:35
blackfox, Jan 31, 2009
I find it somewhat ironic that Boeing is working on technology to shoot down aircraft...
Reading through related articles through that link (more on that in a sec), I was intrigued with the potential application for lasers as sniper weapons. Invisible beam, which masks the shooters location and makes the target seemingly spontaneously burst into flame.
As for that link - interesting stuff to be sure, but it all seems a little "rah rah" on how we have all these great ideas in tech to "keep us safe". The tone just gave me pause...
Mac - great comment btw.
Much Ado, Jan 31, 2009
*Waits for the 'Laser Control' threads to pop up in 50 years time*
obeygiant, Jan 31, 2009
I, for one, welcome our new Humvee overlords.
but high flying planes need also more powerful (means more power generators) and more precise lasers (which very likely means bigger more steady vehicles which also require
don' forget that even lasers loose precision over distance
also for taking down a plane you have to burn a bigger "hole" to do damage than on a drone (= more power needed) and that in less time (which means more power yet again)
then keep in mind that military jets don't sit around doing nothing... don't forget that just like radar also lasers work in both ways ... with an automated infrared scanner you very likely can spot them fast even miles away at the intensity they need to hurt an object
which means -> position revealed instantly... which for any ground vehicle very big power hungry launch station means certain death already NOW .. and even more so 20 years from today when those lasers will be operational
my countermeasure against such laser weapons would be a group of combined controlled small jet powered drones each equipped with 1-2 rockets ...
if a laser fires --> he is killed by one of the other drones
if he doesn't fire he will be sooner or later discovered by them and also killed
- also those lasers very likely need hefty power generators which means they are very visible for infrared and thus easy to spot
- on top of that they also might need radar to spot enemy vehicles especially with bad visual conditions
- what about bad visual conditions anyway ? what if it snows ? rain ? fog ?
- what countermeasures can be made by planes ? shiny surfaces ? smoke generators at the tip of a plane ? developing drones /missiles specialized on layering smoke ?
the amount of problems are ridiculous just like with SDI .. which means the arms developers will earn billions over decades
You're new to this whole military-technology thing aren't you...
That's like saying the invention of LaserDisc was utterly useless. It may not be prime-time yet, but early testing and proof of concepts are hugely important.
So, this will help the U.S. down the road, in imposing their will on the World??
OK, good stuff. Full speed ahead.
I'm all for it but only if the lasers make the "pew pew" sound.
But think of the profits!
You're right, we should let the other people invent the bows and arrows. That's sure to turn out alright in the end.
It may not be prime-time yet, but early testing and proof of concepts are hugely important.
Hugely important for bringing the company billions of borrowed Pentagon research money for twenty years, by which time the technology is completely out of date.
and never let yourself fool yourself that those Bows and arrows going to decided those wars because just a few years later it was payback time:
The battle swiftly turned into a rout, with every Englishman on a horse fleeing while the infantry, mostly composed of longbowmen, were cut down in droves. Longbowmen were never intended to fight armoured knights unsupported except from prepared positions where the knights could not charge them, and they were massacred. For once the French tactic of a large frontal cavalry assault had succeeded, with decisive results.
arms development is always a a race between offense and defense ...