British Ministry of Defence goes Star Wars with the New DragonFire system

originally posted by: rickymouse
I wonder how distortions created by air over water would equate into it's accuracy. I suppose a computerized system could evaluate that if programmed correctly.

Lasers have historically been limited by atmospheric attenuation. Otherwise they would have been used for ICBM defense long ago. The problem can partially be overcome with MOAR POWER!, but that isn't the entire solution. It is the next flavor of defense though.

Directed energy (DE) weapons are designed usually in two flavors -- physically damage the main structure, or cook the hardware/control system. None of this is really new, and they have successfully tested similar systems for many years especially with regard to drones, but IMO they are finally having some incentive to get moving on fielding things with all of the real-world action going on. Air defense situations like Ukraine and Israel can't be sustained with endless projectiles.

a reply to: Halfswede

The Holly Grail i should imagine is a miniaturized portable power source where man-portable/vehicle-mounted DEW are concerned.

You're correct all the same, our own atmosphere and changes in weather present significant problems where lasers capable of destroying the likes of incoming cruise missiles and ICBM are concerned.

Hence the reason why it makes a modicum of sense to place them in orbit.

However, i can see quite a few nations being rather ambivalent about that happening simply down to the fact that it would create a whole new type of arms race.

Yeah, I believe it is currently against all treaties to have weapons in space. That said, there are almost certainly forms of electronic warfare (jamming etc.) onboard space stuff.

Just what we need, more space stuff and even space stuff pointing back at us...lol

"It's just a few miniature death stars, so we can protect ourselves. You want to protect the children, right?"

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: Halfswede

The Holly Grail i should imagine is a miniaturized portable power source where man-portable/vehicle-mounted DEW are concerned.

You're correct all the same, our own atmosphere and changes in weather present significant problems where lasers capable of destroying the likes of incoming cruise ICBM are concerned.

Hence the reason why it makes a modicum of sense to place them in orbit.

However, i can see quite a few nations being rather ambivalent about that happening simply down to the fact that it would create a whole new type of arms race.

That was my first thought when I read the OP...the bits I 'bolded' in your quote just got me thinking of Skynet and 2029 though...I hope the MOD is the British resistance, and these light sabres ain't connected to the internet!😱

Just another £100 million pissed up against the wall. The MOD Should have just shopped at Temu. Probably got the same thing for under £5

All you need to take out drones are Kamikazi Pigeons. I can supply the pigeons if the MOD is interested.

Actually no, I retired from Raytheon after 32 years, Raytheon built a laser for testing purposes for the United States Navy. It was a large CO2 laser that could cut through six inches of hardened steel at a distance of 30 miles in less than 100th of a second. That was in 2004. The new version has a much further range and the power generation is up to 20 megawatts. It was classified in 2009. The Navy has this device on 12 different ships currently in service.
A CO2 laser is a very powerful weapon and is used in certain industries but at much lower power levels.
It is also the strongest medium, (CO2) to produce a laser beam at its most energetic stage.

a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed

originally posted by: Spaceflyr11
Actually no, I retired from Raytheon after 32 years, Raytheon built a laser for testing purposes for the United States Navy. It was a large CO2 laser that could cut through six inches of hardened steel at a distance of 30 miles in less than 100th of a second. That was in 2004. The new version has a much further range and the power generation is up to 20 megawatts. It was classified in 2009. The Navy has this device on 12 different ships currently in service.
A CO2 laser is a very powerful weapon and is used in certain industries but at much lower power levels.
It is also the strongest medium, (CO2) to produce a laser beam at its most energetic stage.

a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed

Actually "no" to what?
The Vulcan 20-20 will produce 20 Petawatts. Do the math on a Petawatt. The newest generation of LASER weapons don't use tubes with inert gases and noble gases anymore all electronic, solid state..(And use many wavelengths at the same time beyond infrared and UV) I know since I use CO2 Lasers' every day. I also build assemblies currently in the aerospace industry and one of our customers is Raytheon. DPAS and ITAR certified work we do.

originally posted by: McGinty
Tesla will be laughing at how long it took us to get to this point

TESLA would be CRYING at the route we chose.

Sounds like one of those lazers could power a town for a year, but destruction is more important yes?

a reply to: nerbot

Considering the price of leccy here in Bonny Scotland right now.

It would probably be more like a council house for a day.

Wait until it gets into the hands of our enemies, airliners will be getting carved out the sky with it.

Good to know, I’ve been gone since 2017, thanks for the info.a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed

originally posted by: Spaceflyr11
Good to know, I’ve been gone since 2017, thanks for the info.a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed

Hi Spaceflyr11

I wasn't trying to refute anything you said by the way

CO2 lasers can certainly be devastatingly powerful. This ship mounted ones are pretty devastating you mentioned.

I met some Raytheon people in 2018 when they toured our facility. Tried to ask them about some of their projects, but of course they didn't say a lot (I didn't attempt to ask them about anything classified of course). But in aerospace manufacturing as you know, there's so many vendors and supply chain companies, there isn't a lot of info shared. Even blueprints are the bare minimum and no higher assembly drawings are ever shared. At Boeing you can view any drawing though. (Worked there back in the mid 90's and back in 1989 for a few years.)

a reply to: nerbot

Indeed! The military would’ve had significant interest in Tesla’s work, no doubt steering it towards the ‘death Ray’. Then he ‘falls’ from his window. Perhaps he wasn’t cooperating with that agenda and therefore seen as a liability. Wouldn’t surprise me if he feared a future with only one side having such a Ray and led deep state to fear he might pass info to the other side to even things out.

Pure speculation on my part, but Tesla’s demise is beyond suspicious. Of course there’s the possibility the other side threw him out that window to stop him completing the Ray for the US.

Back on topic the inference of this Scottish test is a new arms race with an end game of getting these tools into orbit. Frakking scary!

a reply to: McGinty

Did Tesla not reach the age of 86 and die of heart failure(coronary thrombosis)?

I can't see how that makes his demise beyond suspicious McGinty as that's a not-bad age to reach for his time, and heart failure is rather common in a man of his extended years.

The suspicion i should imagine surrounds what happened to his personal ledgers and design notes after his demise.

a reply to: gortex

I went outside on November the 4th to see if I was able to observe the aurora borealis but with the cloud cover it was impossible .

I witness something go across the sky in a straight line and then stop in one location ? But I thought it was a light from a crane in the nearby harbour reflecting of the clouds .

I think they may have been playing about with this in a few locations up north ?

Boeing had the Yal 1 airborne laser a long time ago , then handed it away
m.youtube.com...

a reply to: andy06shake

You're quite right, i'm getting Tesla confused with Frank Olsen. Thanks for correcting me


Yes, indeed those documents missing from Tesla's apartment is dodgy to say the least

a reply to: McGinty

The MKUltra fellow.

en.wikipedia.org...#:~:text=At%20a%20meeting%20in%20rural,Hotel%20Statler%20in%20New%20York.

That's another interesting rabbit hole.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: McGinty

The MKUltra fellow.

en.wikipedia.org...#:~:text=At%20a%20meeting%20in%20rural,Hotel%20Statler%20in%20New%20York.

That's another interesting rabbit hole.

First time I've read about this, absolutely mental.

Always makes me think, if the CIA were so out of control back then, WTF kind of shady sh1t are they up to now.

a reply to: stu119

yeh , the only reason we learned of MK Ultra was because they were forced to admit to it

imagine all the things these alphabet agencies are up to.

Wouldnt be surprised that they have collectively been stealing our wealth for their black budget programs
for decades

a reply to: sapien1982

The key moment in the exposure of the MKUltra program seems to have been the 1974 investigative report by the New York Times bringing it to public attention.

As to what they get up to behind closed doors, well how long is a piece of string?

Nothing good i should imagine given some of their mandates and goals.

As to where the money comes from, that would be the drug trade and other black-market shenanigans aside from the funding from the black budget.