ATHENA Laser Pew Pews a truck out of existence at a range of one mile

lol.

a reply to: stormbringer1701

with solid state optical aiming techs you can bend the path of any given beam with phase shifting, frequency changes, or by interference from adjacent beams. also the very element that fires a weapon strength beam can also send out a lidar strength beam. so fire control sensors and shooters are the same elements. it works like a phased array radar with a "viewing angle" like a modern led or lcd monitor screen.

Have you seem such technology in use personally or do you simply speculate it's implementation?

And whenever you can bend the path of your laser you need to known precisely where it's going. Do you have any idea of the challenge of boresighting such a system? Alway much easyer on paper than in practice...

And what would be the cost of such system? And what would be the maintenance cost also?

originally posted by: PeterMcFly
a reply to: stormbringer1701

with solid state optical aiming techs you can bend the path of any given beam with phase shifting, frequency changes, or by interference from adjacent beams. also the very element that fires a weapon strength beam can also send out a lidar strength beam. so fire control sensors and shooters are the same elements. it works like a phased array radar with a "viewing angle" like a modern led or lcd monitor screen.

Have you seem such technology in use personally or do you simply speculate it's implementation?

And whenever you can bend the path of your laser you need to known precisely where it's going. Do you have any idea of the challenge of boresighting such a system? Alway much easyer on paper than in practice...

And what would be the cost of such system? And what would be the maintenance cost also?

i have seen white papers and articles on non mechanical aiming of lasers and articles on fiber and slab and conventional laser beam combining for more powerful beams. i know that even in the white world there are development programs well underway.

as a matter of fact if i remember correctly the ABL laser had three modules (and was intended to have even more; either 9 or 12.) that were combined to make a beam more powerful than the individual lasers. so this sort of thing existed even for chemical exothermal lasers about thirty years ago.

a reply to: stormbringer1701

i have seen white papers and articles on non mechanical aiming of lasers and articles on fiber and slab and conventional laser beam combining for more powerful beams. i know that even in the white world there are development programs well underway.

So the answer to my question is no you have not see personally IMPLEMENTATION of such technology!

I have seen a lot of spectacular concept on paper, even seen a patent about some kind of a time machine...

Most white clothes scientist that make these concepts are very smart but most of the time they don't have any clue of how to implement it in real operable life.

a reply to: stormbringer1701

as a matter of fact if i remember correctly the ABL laser had three modules (and was intended to have even more; either 9 or 12.) that were combined to make a beam more powerful than the individual lasers. so this sort of thing existed even for chemical exothermal lasers about thirty years ago.

"
Former Secretary of Defense Gates said that "I don't know anybody at the Department of Defense, Mr. Tiahrt, who thinks that this program should, or would, ever be operationally deployed. The reality is that you would need a laser something like 20 to 30 times more powerful than the chemical laser in the plane right now to be able to get any distance from the launch site to fire."
"

Link

"
The Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser Testbed (formerly Airborne Laser) weapons system was a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified Boeing 747-400F.
"

In conclusion, they "discovered" that a megawatt-class laser was not powerfull enough and a system 20 to 30 time more powerfull was needed to operate at any usefull range!!! I could have told them just using my trusted old HP calculator at a much lower price tag...

originally posted by: PeterMcFly
a reply to: stormbringer1701

as a matter of fact if i remember correctly the ABL laser had three modules (and was intended to have even more; either 9 or 12.) that were combined to make a beam more powerful than the individual lasers. so this sort of thing existed even for chemical exothermal lasers about thirty years ago.

"
Former Secretary of Defense Gates said that "I don't know anybody at the Department of Defense, Mr. Tiahrt, who thinks that this program should, or would, ever be operationally deployed. The reality is that you would need a laser something like 20 to 30 times more powerful than the chemical laser in the plane right now to be able to get any distance from the launch site to fire."
"

Link

"
The Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser Testbed (formerly Airborne Laser) weapons system was a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified Boeing 747-400F.
"

In conclusion, they "discovered" that a megawatt-class laser was not powerfull enough and a system 20 to 30 time more powerfull was needed to operate at any usefull range!!! I could have told them just using my trusted old HP calculator at a much lower price tag...

Powell is suspect for a number of reasons. if that is the case why is a 30 kw laser sufficient for a mile? why is the LAWS able to range over double that with about the same or less power? think about that. the real range issue with the ABL was it had to loiter about 25 to 50 km outside the territory or even worse be inside the territory of the enemy nation whose launch was targeted. this was an unarmed civilian jumbo liner that could only travel under 500 miles per hour with a big "shoot me down" sign on the tail no defensive armament and likely no escort.

the MTHEL was not a megawatt class laser was it? or the Hel follow on? or the hellads? or any of the other follow ons...saying you need a megawatt class laser for ranged laser fire is crazy. but then Powell was a left leaning individual not above fibbing to butress his position. Lefties in general don't like missile defense. Powell broke left big time after his term expired. Powell criticizes MD and, surprise, some of his argument (Esp WRT power requirments Vs Range) is nonsense.

a reply to: stormbringer1701

Powell is suspect for a number of reasons. if that is the case why is a 30 kw laser sufficient for a mile? why is the LAWS able to range over double that with about the same or less power? think about that.

What I'm thinking right now is that everything I said, especially about power density calculation have fallen into deaf ears!

Either no one know how to use a calculator, or no one wish to use a calculator...

additionally as technology has evolved adaptive optics, and a number of techniques designed to overcome divergence have emerged. also efficiency of lasing mediums have increased enough to not be a neglectible consideration in determining how much power is needed.

originally posted by: PeterMcFly
a reply to: stormbringer1701

Powell is suspect for a number of reasons. if that is the case why is a 30 kw laser sufficient for a mile? why is the LAWS able to range over double that with about the same or less power? think about that.

What I'm thinking right now is that everything I said, especially about power density calculation have fallen into deaf ears!

Either no one know how to use a calculator, or no one wish to use a calculator...

and i can tell you don't see concrete evidence such as the success of other laser weapon systems at much less power levels as a problem with Powell's assertions.

@mcfly

here is in part an answer to your question:

www.darpa.mil...

The optical phased array architecture provides electro-optical systems with the same mission flexibility and performance enhancements that microwave phased arrays provide for RF systems and a multifunction Excalibur array may also perform laser radar, target designation, laser communications, and airborne-platform self protection tasks.

These phased arrays will coherently combine lower-power electrically driven lasers, such as diode lasers and fiber laser amplifiers. Coherently combinable single-mode diode lasers and fiber-based systems can provide overall laser efficiencies greater than 50 percent and 30 percent, respectively, while maintaining near-diffraction-limited beam quality.

and

Beam-steering technologies will be pursued to make these arrays conformal with the airframe, to provide rapid retargeting across a large field of regard, and to compensate for the effects of atmospheric turbulence. The Excalibur program will demonstrate a high-power phased array of kW- class fiber laser amplifiers and investigate the limits of active optical phase-locking onto uncooperative targets under realistic conditions. Once Excalibur’s technical objectives are achieved, it is envisioned that a coherent array of 10's of subapertures, each driven with a multi-kW coherently combinable fiber laser amplifiers, would enable ~100 kW class laser systems for precision strikes against both ground and air targets. This technology will enable the practical use of high-power lasers on a broad spectrum of military platforms without degradation of their original missions.

reasons why you're wrong part 4 billion:

www.extremetech.com...

Researchers in the US, funded by the US Air Force, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and the National Science Foundation, have managed to turn air into an “optical fiber.” This breakthrough allows the scientists to create an air waveguide, allowing for much better transmission of lasers through free space — much in the same way that glass and plastic waveguides allow for efficient transmission of laser light over long stretches of optical fiber. As you might have guessed from the US military’s involvement, this could be big news for laser weapons

When will they be fitting them to frikkin sharks?

originally posted by: Blackfinger
When will they be fitting them to frikkin sharks?

If you attach them to sharks you are severely limiting your sectors of fire though

originally posted by: stormbringer1701
the MTHEL was not a megawatt class laser was it

Oh, hell yes. IIRC, the original THEL as tested was just shy of a MW, but after the upgrade it was a good bit stronger, well over a MW output.

eta: driving down the road so I can't check, but for some reason 3MW seems to be what I remember them getting out of really tiptop chemical lasers before they sort of quit pushing that.

a reply to: Bedlam

NAppa: vegeta!! what is its power level?!

VEgeta: its over 9000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000!!!!!


is that over a quad? lol

petawatt class laser diode array: phys.org...

ten shots per second.

a reply to: Elton

NIce addition to that Nice Find Bud! Good for You to post that. Later, Syx.

a reply to: stormbringer1701

petawatt class laser diode array: phys.org... ten shots per second.

OK, since no one wish/can use their calculator, I'll do some calculations for you:

HAPLS is designed to be capable of generating peak powers greater than one petawatt (1 quadrillion watts, or 10^15)

That is a peak power of 1E15 Watts

with each pulse lasting 30 femtoseconds (30 quadrillionths of a second).

We idealize using rectangular pulse shape of 30E-15 second duration.

Energy of each pulse is equal to power * time = 1E15 * 30E-15 = 30 Joules

at a repetition rate of 10 Hertz

In one second, we have 10 pulses, total energy = 10 * 30 J = 300 Joules

Average power of this terrible "death ray", Pavg = energy/time = 300 J / 1 s = 300 Watts

HAPLS is capable of 300 Watts average power !!!!!!!!!!!!