Check out topic: The Joe Biden Re-Election Strategy
Laser Weapons on the Way
May 4, 2024 21:33:23 #
We currently have deployed several infrared laser weapon systems of low power to Europe and the Middle East by the Army and the Navy. They are primarily capable of downing or disabling rather soft targets such as drones, gunboats, and some missiles. By low power is meant the capability of radiating about 10 kilowatts (kw) on a target.
Under development is a system that can radiate 300 kw, which allows it to be able to defeat far more types of targets: large drones, missiles, aircraft, helicopters, bigger boats, and personnel in the open. If the technology progresses rapidly, within a few years we may see the power levels reach a megawatt, opening up the classes of targets to a full range of opposing military systems.
Today, targets must be tracked for seconds as the laser paints it to burn through to vital areas, such as the fuel, or warhead of a missile, or the fuel, warhead or control circuits of a drone. This dwell time can be reduced as more power is available for the weapon, perhaps to fractions of a second when we reach the megawatt level or higher.
There are limits to how many discharges the laser weapon can make before it must recharge its bank of batteries. Improvements in battery technology could materially increase the firing rate and duration of the laser's availability to address multiple targets.
A significant drawback of the laser weapon is its rapid degradation of energy when it is fired through obstructing atmosphere-- fog, clouds, smoke, dust and the like.
In view of the advent of modern missiles and drone warfare, even swarms of them, our services are moving as rapidly as the technology will let them to field effective laser weaponry.
Source: Wikipedia
Under development is a system that can radiate 300 kw, which allows it to be able to defeat far more types of targets: large drones, missiles, aircraft, helicopters, bigger boats, and personnel in the open. If the technology progresses rapidly, within a few years we may see the power levels reach a megawatt, opening up the classes of targets to a full range of opposing military systems.
Today, targets must be tracked for seconds as the laser paints it to burn through to vital areas, such as the fuel, or warhead of a missile, or the fuel, warhead or control circuits of a drone. This dwell time can be reduced as more power is available for the weapon, perhaps to fractions of a second when we reach the megawatt level or higher.
There are limits to how many discharges the laser weapon can make before it must recharge its bank of batteries. Improvements in battery technology could materially increase the firing rate and duration of the laser's availability to address multiple targets.
A significant drawback of the laser weapon is its rapid degradation of energy when it is fired through obstructing atmosphere-- fog, clouds, smoke, dust and the like.
In view of the advent of modern missiles and drone warfare, even swarms of them, our services are moving as rapidly as the technology will let them to field effective laser weaponry.
Source: Wikipedia
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.