Technology Marches On: Ship to Ship Lasers

[SSWarlock]

And now, a RealLife(tm) Traveller moment, compliments of the BBC and the US Navy.

The first successful test of a ship being disabled by another ship's laser. Direct hit on the maneuver drive, no less.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13033437

Guess they should've used armored bulkheads. :wink:

 

[barnest2]

It even takes under six minutes, so it's well within a traveller ship combat turn

 

[Captain Jonah]

Mostly its a matter of fire control. With the solid state units they increase power by linking more emitters into the array to produce higher output.

I would say we are fairly close (in terms of a year or so) now to fully weaponised lasers for battlefield use. The only restriction on vehicle and man pack units being the mower to fire them. If the Tree hugger types could be shut up so we can start fitting those 50 Gallon drum sized vehicle nuke power plants we will be away

 

[Egil Skallagrimsson]

OK, its a start, but an ATGW, 20mm cannon, or even a burst of 7.62 would have disabled that, conveniently static and defenceless, target a good deal quicker.

Not even sure if you can really call this proof of principle, let alone useful weaponisation!

Egil

 

[DFW]

OK, its a start, but an ATGW, 20mm cannon, or even a burst of 7.62 would have disabled that, conveniently static and defenceless, target a good deal quicker.

Not even sure if you can really call this proof of principle, let alone useful weaponisation!

Egil

Hmm, can a 7.62 cut through 20" of steel?

 

[rust]

OK, its a start, but an ATGW, 20mm cannon, or even a burst of 7.62 would have disabled that, conveniently static and defenceless, target a good deal quicker.

Besides, something as cheap and simple as a fog screen makes a laser
useless, while a 20 mm remains unimpressed by fog or rain.

 

[DFW]

Besides, something as cheap and simple as a fog screen makes a laser useless, while a 20 mm remains unimpressed by fog or rain.

It is an F.E.L. A simple fog screen would not necessarily stop it anymore than water vapor (humidity) being present in the air..

 

[Egil Skallagrimsson]

OK, its a start, but an ATGW, 20mm cannon, or even a burst of 7.62 would have disabled that, conveniently static and defenceless, target a good deal quicker.

Not even sure if you can really call this proof of principle, let alone useful weaponisation!

Egil

Hmm, can a 7.62 cut through 20" of steel?

You must have a different video than the one the OP put on, which shows a thinly cased out board motor on some kind of rib being, slowly, burnt through. Yes, a burst of 7.62 would have wrecked the outboard, let alone anything more kinetic.

Where is the 20" of steel?

Egil

 

[DFW]

You must have a different video than the one the OP put on, which shows a thinly cased out board motor on some kind of rib being, slowly, burnt through. Yes, a burst of 7.62 would have wrecked the outboard, let alone anything more kinetic.

Where is the 20" of steel?

Egil

"During a private tour of the Jefferson Lab in Newport News, VA., on Friday, FoxNews.com saw scientists blast unprecedented levels of power into a prototype accelerator, producing a supercharged electron beam that can burn through 20 feet of steel per second."
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/18/navy-breaks-world-record-futuristic-laser-getting-real/?intcmp=prn_baynote-js_Navy_Breaks_World_Record_With_Futuristic_Free-Electron_Laser

 

[SSWarlock]

"During a private tour of the Jefferson Lab in Newport News, VA., on Friday...

DA-yamn! I'd forgotten about that. Thanks for posting the link.

 

[Egil Skallagrimsson]

You must have a different video than the one the OP put on, which shows a thinly cased out board motor on some kind of rib being, slowly, burnt through. Yes, a burst of 7.62 would have wrecked the outboard, let alone anything more kinetic.

Where is the 20" of steel?

Egil

"During a private tour of the Jefferson Lab in Newport News, VA., on Friday, FoxNews.com saw scientists blast unprecedented levels of power into a prototype accelerator, producing a supercharged electron beam that can burn through 20 feet of steel per second."
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/18/navy-breaks-world-record-futuristic-laser-getting-real/?intcmp=prn_baynote-js_Navy_Breaks_World_Record_With_Futuristic_Free-Electron_Laser

Now that's more like what a weapons laser should be, do you think the attempt to slowly set fire to an outboard motor was simply a bit of misinformation to throw the Chinese off the trail?

Egil

 

[DFW]

do you think the attempt to slowly set fire to an outboard motor was simply a bit of misinformation to throw the Chinese off the trail?

Egil

Given the interview in Newport News, it was probably more of a targeting, proof of existence demo to public to build public enthusiasm. so as to inoculate members of congress who will vote for further funding.

(insight gained by working the "Hill")

 

[hdan]

Now that's more like what a weapons laser should be, do you think the attempt to slowly set fire to an outboard motor was simply a bit of misinformation to throw the Chinese off the trail?

I think it more likely that the "long slow burn" was to prove the targeting system can hold a beam on a moving target from another moving target.

Hook that aiming system up to the "steel punch" laser....