Lockheed Martin's laser weapon can sink a boat from a mile away

We’ve known for some time now that the US military has been experimenting with lasers as a weapon on the battlefield. Such devices could be used to blast drones out of the sky but lately, defense contractor Lockheed Martin has turned their attention to the sea. The company recently tested a prototype laser system called the Area Defense Anti-Munitions (ADAM) in the waters off the California coast. The system relies primarily on infrared sensors to track vessels from a distance even as the target maneuvers about the water and hides behind waves.

Lockheed Martin's laser weapon can sink a boat from a mile away



Found this article rather interesting, it seems beam weapons are finally coming of age with Laser weapons systems such as this ADAM successfully disabling a boat at a distance of over 1km. Think they may need to scale up the power somewhat but I wonder how it would fair against incoming anti ship missiles or cruise missiles?

www.youtube.com...

a reply to: andy06shake

Hmmm,you could sink a zodiac with a decent sniper rifle-which is cheaper?
Maybe when they suss out how to saw an aircraft carrier into slices I will be more impressed.

Still pretty awesome though,wouldn't like to look in the direction of the beam.

Meanwhile Russia has developed an Anti-Laser devise knows as Multiple Incoming Reflective Rays of Russia or

M.I.R.R.O.R

Cool, but still not advanced enough to really be meaningful. That is a rubber boat and it isn't moving. They show it moving in the beginning of the video but then they stop it and focus the beam on it. Might as well use a giant magnifying glass and the sun if that is what they are going for.

I was hoping it was going to be a big metal boat, not an inflatable dingy.

It's still cool technology, lots of room for improvement.

I think that until they can get lasers to a single burst fire destroying the target, they are really not that useful. Sure they can track and slow burn targets, but if it were a single burst that would penetrate a target and disable it would be much better.

a reply to: Vasa Croe
I think they have tested similar lasers on missiles,destroying them from the ground/ship based lasers-They were moving fast and were futher away than a mile I think,Ill look for the link..
Here it is:

www.spacedaily.com...

Its a 100killowatt laser,and it tracks airbourne targets while frying it with the laser...Sort of like a weaponised version of a tracking telescope mount.
Nasty.

Edit:
Check this ship mounted laser attacking a drone-I think you can see a thin grey line of smoke along the(invisible)laser beam,possibly the air molecules vaporising from the laser?
Also it has cool shots taken from on board the drone and you can see where the laser it on the ground:



Maybe you could make a super polished chrome aircraft which would be immune,as the light would bounce off?
Hmm..

a reply to: iamhobo
Here's an earlier test, a few years ago. Range is about a mile.


Pretty impressive, really. Fog, sea spray, and such would cause problems though.

originally posted by: PsychoEmperor
Meanwhile Russia has developed an Anti-Laser devise knows as Multiple Incoming Reflective Rays of Russia or

M.I.R.R.O.R

I doubt it works like that.

But the hilarity of a multi8 billion doller US warship shooting there billion doller laser only to have it reflected back at them with a mirror to sink them would be priceless.

~Epic fail of legendary proportions come to mind

originally posted by: Phage
Fog, sea spray, and such would cause problems though.

Well that a pretty big problem for you know A FREAKING OCEAN GOING VESSEL!

If they show us that...

What do they really have...That left me un wooed.

a reply to: crazyewok

Various weapon systems are subject to the effects various adverse conditions.
No system is perfect.

Burning an outboard motor on moderate seas at a distance of a mile is impressive for a system under development.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: crazyewok

Various weapon systems are subject to the effects various adverse conditions.
No system is perfect.

Burning an outboard motor on moderate seas at a distance of a mile is impressive for a system under development.

Ck im a enemy ship. Its moderate weather.

What stops me just throwing up a huge cloud of steam or water spray in defense. Its not exactly expensive or hard to create a counter measure that does that.

a reply to: whyamIhere
I am thinking it may be much cheaper to send a giant magnifying lens up on a satellite,then targeting that beam at whatever target...hell that could probably roast everything and everyone in the deepest underground bunkers humans have built if they so desired.

Bet they have thought about that,maybe even done it.

a reply to: crazyewok

What stops me just throwing up a huge cloud of steam or water spray in defense.

Knowing what's happening, for one thing. A huge cloud of steam? How? Water spray, sure.

You know that there are countermeasures against missile attacks too, right?

This could prove to be a cost effective weapon system.

As others have said....If this goes into real use, we will probably start seeing mirrored finishes on anything flying or on the water.

originally posted by: Phage

This could prove to be a cost effective weapon system.

Yes but expensive things. Spraying water in a ocean full of water seems abit of a simple counter measure for a expensive weapon on a warship.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

A common misconception. Mirrors do not reflect 100% of the energy which strikes them. After a short exposure to a high energy beam, they lose their reflective abilities.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: crazyewok

What stops me just throwing up a huge cloud of steam or water spray in defense.

Knowing what's happening, for one thing. A huge cloud of steam? How? Water spray, sure.

You know that there are countermeasures against missile attacks too, right?

This could prove to be a cost effective weapon system.

See my above post about a space lens-I bet that could be done cheaper,and that it could burn though any known weather on earth,or any reflective paint.

a reply to: crazyewok

Chaff and flares are inexpensive defenses against a very expensive (price per one) missile attack. That doesn't mean they always work at stopping the attack.