America's laser of death cleared for take-off

[Random Variable]

<< AMERICA'S enemies will soon face a weapon, once confined to the Star Wars films, that can bring death at the speed of light.

The special operations AC-130 Spectre gunship, whose conventional weaponry has been used to devastating effect since the Vietnam War, is to be fitted with a laser that can shoot down missiles, punch holes in aircraft and knock out ground radar stations.

Despite the successful operations against Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan, the emergence of asymmetric terrorist warfare - attacks such as September 11 where the enemy is unseen - has led the Pentagon to identify the need for a more sophisticated and deadly weapons system.

The next generation gunship, codenamed AC-X and nicknamed 'Son of Spectre' by US defence officials, will carry all the weaponry already used on the AC-130, including twin 20mm Vulcan cannon (capable of firing 2,500 rounds per minute), 40mm Bofor cannon (100 rounds per minute) and a 105mm Howitzer. Its 21st-century addition, however, will be its biggest punch: a chemical oxygen iodine laser (Coil), capable of carrying out lethal and non-lethal attacks.

The advantage of laser weapons is that they strike at the speed of light. In the Coil, the power of a chemical reaction is converted to laser energy, and the weapon can carry on firing as long as its power source is intact. >>


Link

 

[N8Magic]

<<

<< AMERICA'S enemies will soon face a weapon, once confined to the Star Wars films, that can bring death at the speed of light.

The special operations AC-130 Spectre gunship, whose conventional weaponry has been used to devastating effect since the Vietnam War, is to be fitted with a laser that can shoot down missiles, punch holes in aircraft and knock out ground radar stations.

Despite the successful operations against Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan, the emergence of asymmetric terrorist warfare - attacks such as September 11 where the enemy is unseen - has led the Pentagon to identify the need for a more sophisticated and deadly weapons system.

The next generation gunship, codenamed AC-X and nicknamed 'Son of Spectre' by US defence officials, will carry all the weaponry already used on the AC-130, including twin 20mm Vulcan cannon (capable of firing 2,500 rounds per minute), 40mm Bofor cannon (100 rounds per minute) and a 105mm Howitzer. Its 21st-century addition, however, will be its biggest punch: a chemical oxygen iodine laser (Coil), capable of carrying out lethal and non-lethal attacks.

The advantage of laser weapons is that they strike at the speed of light. In the Coil, the power of a chemical reaction is converted to laser energy, and the weapon can carry on firing as long as its power source is intact. >>


Link >>



Come fly the friendly skies!

Wow, that is one impressive piece of machinery! A 105mm howitzer on a chopper? I'm impressed!

 

[murphy55d]

sweet!

 

[trmiv]

In other news, pockets of remaining Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters will be using their own form of laser warfare. They made a large purchase of laser pointers, with which they will attempt to blind low-flying American pilots.

 

[Soulflare]

Time to buy some big-ass mirrors.

 

[DanFungus]

<< In other news, pockets of remaining Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters will be using their own form of laser warfare. They made a large purchase of laser pointers, with which they will attempt to blind low-flying American pilots. >>


BAHAHAHHAH!

 

[ViperMagic]

<< Wow, that is one impressive piece of machinery! A 105mm howitzer on a chopper? I'm impressed! >>


Erm.... the AC-130 is a modified C-130 Cargo plane

 

[DaiShan]

<< Time to buy some big-ass mirrors. >>

I think that is exactly what saddam in Iraq, and those afghanies are thinking

 

[OS]

-

 

[XMan]

"The Americans may already have a very powerful laser weapon far more advanced than we have seen. They have been carrying out research in this field for years but it is a very secret weapons programme and we have no idea how far they have progressed."

Hmmmmm.

 

[Maleficus]

<< Time to buy some big-ass mirrors. >>



bahahhahaahah.

 

[UberNeuman]

<< Time to buy some big-ass mirrors. >>



Why do I keep thinking of "Real Genius" - anyone up for some popcorn?

 

[mikysee]

Would that be able to takeout a satelite?

 

[Amused]

<< "The Americans may already have a very powerful laser weapon far more advanced than we have seen. They have been carrying out research in this field for years but it is a very secret weapons programme and we have no idea how far they have progressed."

Hmmmmm. >>



Yep. My father was head of laser research at TRW before he died in 1985.

 

[Novgrod]

a) the laser puts out very nonfriendly gasses.

b) it requires a helluvalot of juice to power it.

c) it's fragile

d) as to "shoot up the mirror first" there's very, very little (read: nothing) the laser can do that bullets can't, unless it's against such targets as missiles.

e) lasers can't fire over the horizon

f) the laser loses effiency over distance pretty quickly when it's being fired in thick atmosphere.

we're a long, long way from a) lasers in a starwars defense (1: would require planes to fly pretty damn close to the missiles' takeoff areas 2: missiles would have to be held in the laser's beam for 30 seconds+) and b) lasers replacing good ol' bullets.

just one man's opinion

 

[glenn1]

<< The special operations AC-130 Spectre gunship, whose conventional weaponry has been used to devastating effect since the Vietnam War, is to be fitted with a laser that can shoot down missiles, punch holes in aircraft and knock out ground radar stations. >>



Holy cr@p... they're going to take one of the most devastating weapons platforms the world has ever seen, and hook an energy projection weapon to it? So much for anyone challenging the U.S. in traditional ground combat anytime within the next few decades if this all works out....

Go figure that we'd have something like this after all that money the liberals say we "wasted" on the Strategic Defense Initiative (i.e. "Star Wars"). If they had there way, we'd have taken that money and spent it on "midnight basketball" and pork barrell spending like the $5 million they gave to the Lawrence Welk museum a couple of years ago.

 

[b0mbrman]

<< a) the laser puts out very nonfriendly gasses.
b) it requires a helluvalot of juice to power it.
c) it's fragile
d) as to "shoot up the mirror first" there's very, very little (read: nothing) the laser can do that bullets can't, unless it's against such targets as missiles.
e) lasers can't fire over the horizon
f) the laser loses effiency over distance pretty quickly when it's being fired in thick atmosphere.
we're a long, long way from a) lasers in a starwars defense (1: would require planes to fly pretty damn close to the missiles' takeoff areas 2: missiles would have to be held in the laser's beam for 30 seconds+) and b) lasers replacing good ol' bullets.
just one man's opinion >>


That's cool...You can never stop R&D'ing though, right?

I'm sure there were a bunch of projects that seemed silly a few years back that we couldn't live without today...

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

There is a 747 version of this. It may have been a prototype, but I remember it was designed to pick out a person in a crowd at 100 miles. Now that's cookin'!!!!!!!!!

 

[MadRat]

If its small enough to fit on an AC-130 then its not big enough to kill with any decent range. They are using 747's to house the airborne missile defense lasers because of the size requirements. The generators necessary to produce the laser are not small.

 

[Novgrod]

That's cool...You can never stop R&D'ing though, right?

Ab-so-lutely. Just trying to temper the enthusiasm

 

[Heisenberg]

The next step is to equip the standard soldier with a directed energy weapon. Of course, you can't vaporize things with laser's small enough to carry, but that's not where the research is focused now anyway. The emphasis now is on temporarily or permanently blinding the enemy. It's much more of a morale killer and logistical nightmare than just vaporizing people.

 

[glenn1]

<< The emphasis now is on temporarily or permanently blinding the enemy. It's much more of a morale killer and logistical nightmare than just vaporizing people. >>



Blinding would probably be prohibited by the Geneva Convention, which is full of odd quirky rules about what the "right" and "wrong" way to go about trying to kill someone is. Oddly enough, that document probably wouldn't find anything wrong with vaporizing someone, but blinding him, buddy, we got a problem

 

[Hammer]

The Russians experimented with man portable laser that were designed to blind US pilots in the 1980s.

 

[CocaCola5]

<< The next step is to equip the standard soldier with a directed energy weapon. Of course, you can't vaporize things with laser's small enough to carry, but that's not where the research is focused now anyway. The emphasis now is on temporarily or permanently blinding the enemy. It's much more of a morale killer and logistical nightmare than just vaporizing people. >>





I like the laser guided bullet more.

 

[Czar]

as if the AC-130 wasnt impressive enough already, they had to add a laser to it