Technology Marches On: Laser Turrets

[SSWarlock]

The BBC has posted a story about a German firm demonstrating its functional laser weaponry that successfully cut a steel girder in half at a distance of a kilometer as well as shoot down a drone and a metal ball simulating a mortar shell. Interestingly, there's also a reference to a US Army demonstration of a laser guided "lightning bolt" weapon. Doesn't Traveller call that a particle beam weapon?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20944726

Sounds like Traveller: 2300AD is just around the corner with Traveller 3rd Imperium making its baby steps. Now if someone would only work on the jump drive..we've got lots of planets to explore, thanks to the Kepler Space Telescope.

http://kepler.nasa.gov/news/nasakeplernews/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=244

 

[Captain Jonah]

Well aside from Gravity drives/plates and a jump drive most of Traveller tech will be with us well ahead of schedule.

Either that or we are a bit ahead of tech 8 in a number of fields :roll:

The Laser-Induced Plasma Channel is sort of like a vehicle taser.

With 50kw weapons being vehicle sized and larger high energy weapons pushing 200kw or more we are close to having area defence lasers in the field.

Being able to cut through 15mm steel is of little use against armoured vehicles and no indication is given of how long that took but it is fine for anti missile work. Plus with automatic lidar targeting ( I am presuming that is what they mean by optical unless they are using cameras) and fire control even aircraft or helicopter pop ups are going to be dangerous. A fast moving aircraft is going to get a nasty long slice in it from even a shallow penetration by laser.

I suspect that some where they are already testing these on ships to replace the R2D2s. No ammo, far higher accuracy etc. Another thing to consider is if the power needs can be handled by generators or storage these can be mounted on fighters or bombers for anti fighter/missile use.

Traveller. A 1970s game using 1950s tech to represent a far future sci fi game that is not so far anymore :lol:

 

[rust]

Plus with automatic lidar targeting ( I am presuming that is what they mean by optical unless they are using cameras) and fire control ...

They actually used the Oerlikon Skyguard 3 system, which consists
of a pulse doppler search radar, a pulse doppler tracking radar and
a co-axial television camera.

 

[phavoc]

Traveller doesn't have point defense systems. Not unless you deploy your anti-ship lasers in anti-missile mode. Oy! That's like fishing with hand grenades.

Though when you actually DO fish with hand grenades, do make sure to toss them AWAY from the boat.. dropping them over the side when your boat is motionless is not really that smart of an idea.

 

[F33D]

Well aside from Gravity drives/plates and a jump drive most of Traveller tech will be with us well ahead of schedule.

Either that or we are a bit ahead of tech 8 in a number of fields :roll:

Commercially viable fusion?

 

[rust]

Commercially viable fusion?

I have little doubt that we could have had it by now, the
reasons for the delay are political ones, not obvious tech-
nological ones - ITER could have been built decades ago,
and unless the scientists and engineers are completely
wrong, the first commercial fusion power plant could ha-
ve followed a couple of years later.

 

[F33D]

Commercially viable fusion?

I have little doubt that we could have had it by now, the
reasons for the delay are political ones, not obvious tech-
nological ones -

We aren't ANYWHERE close to sustained commercially viable fusion. Has zip to do with politics (unless you mean that the funding isn't there because the ROI isn't there). It has to do with the fact that we are many years away (if even that close) from coming up with containment possibilities for continuous use/duration that will make if viable. Unless there is a new breakthrough, we probably won't see commercial/econ viability during our lifetime.

 

[rust]

According to the current plans ITER will go online in 2020
and DEMO, the first commercial fusion reactor, in 2033. I
have little doubt that the scientists and engineers involved
in these projects know what they are doing, and so I do ex-
pect to see the first commercial fusion reactor in my lifeti-
me.

 

[alex_greene]

DARPA have announced plans to put lasers on fighter planes:-

Pew Pew Pew "Great, kid! Don't get cocky!"

 

[F33D]

Interestingly, there's also a reference to a US Army demonstration of a laser guided "lightning bolt" weapon. Doesn't Traveller call that a particle beam weapon?

No. The weapon referenced can only work in atmosphere. The laser creates a path through the air that will conduct high voltage & current electricity. Direct-able lightening bolts. Frightening to see in action.

 

[SSWarlock]

DARPA have announced plans to put lasers on fighter planes:-

Pew Pew Pew "Great, kid! Don't get cocky!"

Pretty wild how Lockheed is using adaptive optics, developed in the field of astronomy, to compensate for distortion from jet engine turbulence.

 

[Captain Jonah]

Phavoc those pokey little 1D beam lasers ARE the point defence lasers. The real anti ship stuff comes in Bays :wink:

Laser tech is advancing at a fair pace now and should continue to do so for a while yet.

As always though the thing holding back much of our science is power. Generating it in large amounts via small devices and storing large amounts of it in even smaller devices.

Once we crack generation and storage then what we are looking at now will be as out of date as Bi Planes and we will be well on our way to Traveller (and past it and still going given how backward many Tech Levels are). All we need is a stutter warp and we are off.

I’m getting old, someone sort fusion and FTL PDQ. I would like to visit other worlds and systems while I’m still under 75 :lol:

 

[SSWarlock]

I’m getting old, someone sort fusion and FTL PDQ. I would like to visit other worlds and systems while I’m still under 75 :lol:

Amen, Captain Jonah. Amen.

 

[alex_greene]

I’m getting old, someone sort fusion and FTL PDQ. I would like to visit other worlds and systems while I’m still under 75 :lol:

Amen, Captain Jonah. Amen.

I want to bypass that and go straight to TL 18+ - teleporters and artificial intelligence that you can fit into a signet ring.

 

[AndrewW]

I’m getting old, someone sort fusion and FTL PDQ. I would like to visit other worlds and systems while I’m still under 75 :lol:

I can see it now, gorilla goes off to visit the world they originally came from only to find out the hairless apes have risen up and taken it over.