Gizmodo: laser weapons

Senate to Defense Contractors: More Insane Laser Weapons, Please

John Mahoney — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EDT

In the 2009 defense authorization bill approved last week, the US Senate called for the defense industry to get serious about bringing laser weapons like Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser system (pictured) to the battlefield. The bill allocated more funds to laser programs large and small—from green lasers used to temporarily blind individual troops called "dazzlers" to the giant ATL-like canons used to fry tanks or incoming missiles from the sky. In short: the emperor is here on visit, and he is not happy that this battle station is not yet operational. [Washington Post]

Star Wars Laser Weapon Battles Arrive in 2016—at the Earliest

Jack Loftus — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:00:00 EDT

Boeing is firing off laser weapon press releases and news at almost the speed of light these days. In June we brought you word that the company had successfully test fired its thin-disk laser, the most powerful solid-state laser ever made at 25 kilowatts (100 kilowatt theoretical maximum). This week, Boeing took the chance to brag about its $36 million contract extension for the U.S. Army's High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD). If you're unfamiliar with the HEL TD, here's the short version: more laser weapons.

The good news for peaceniks is the U.S. Army doesn't think mission-ready laser weapons will arrive until at least 2016, and even then the systems will be limited use (Doomsday delayed again! Hooray!).

That hasn't stopped G.I. Joe-type development from going forward, however. In addition to the aerial laser tested in June and the missile-targeting, ground-based HEL TD, Boeing is also working on the Laser Avenger. The Avenger is a Humvee-mounted laser weapon system designed to target small ground targets like roadside bombs, IEDs, and, let's face it folks, people. We just hope they aren't wearing Imperial Stormtrooper armor at that time—that shit is worthless! [CNet]

Ray Guns on the Battlefield? Not Too Far Off

Charlie White — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 08:55:26 EST

Don't be strapping on that holster for your ray gun just yet, but a couple of weapons mongers are making solid progress toward weapons-grade lasers. Raytheon's Laser Area Defense System (LADS) can take down a 60mm mortar, acting all like Star Wars and everything. But wait, those zapped mortars weren't flying through the air—they were just lying on the ground like sitting ducks, an easy target.

Not to be outdone, Northrop is aiming to build the world's first 100kW solid-state laser, with 100kW being the threshold where these things start getting dangerous enough to be called weapons. Supposedly if you focus these laser beams in a certain way, you got yourself a battlefield-strength ray gun. But don't worry, this is all done To Serve Man. – Charlie White

Electric Lasers Shoot Mortars, Gain Strength [DefenseTech]

Ray Gun Headed for Iraq Battlefield

Charlie White — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 15:45:30 EST

The United States Army is testing lasers on the battlefield. Ionatron, Inc. of Tucson has developed a weapon called a femtosecond laser, which creates light pulses that last less than 10 trillionths of a second. These pulses carve a channel of ionized oxygen in the air which can conduct electricity. Then, the weapon blasts lightning bolts through these 30-foot channels of conductivity. This is said to be especially good at neutralizing bombs. Ionatron's CEO says his company will be sending 12 of these units to Iraq, the first one by the end of July.

Real-Life Ray Gun: Say When? [DefenseTech]