Star Wars here we come!!!

[Wheezer]

Text

Boeing has just tested its new thin-disk laser, the most powerful solid-state laser ever made. It fires at over 25 kilowatts, with the scalability proven to go up to a 100 kilowatt laser in the coming years. A 100 kW laser would be the most powerful ever made, one that has a lot of challenges to overcome, including reducing the excess heat generated by such a powerful laser and maintaining the quality of the beam over distances. But even a 25 kW laser is extremely powerful. As the press release says, it "will damage, disable or destroy targets at the speed of light, with little to no collateral damage, supporting missions on the battlefield and in urban operations." Hit the jump for the full release.

 

[Electric Amish]

Very high power. Portable. Limited firing time. Unlimited range. All you'd need is a big spinning mirror and you could vaporize a human target from space.

 

[Queasy]

I was going to be witty and link to the Popcorn scene from Real Genius. Alas, I could not find the a video of this classic scene.

 

[trmiv]

Originally posted by: Electric Amish

Very high power. Portable. Limited firing time. Unlimited range. All you'd need is a big spinning mirror and you could vaporize a human target from space.

Or pop a shitload of popcorn

EDIT: DAMN YOU Queasy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bonkers325]

great picture at beginning of article lol

 

[randay]

One, Billion, dollars! /doctor evil

 

[LegendKiller]

I wonder if the plane will be painted like a shark.

 

[antyler]

I read about that in pop sci, it was a pretty slick operation. Very precise.

 

[AndrewR]

Directed energy weapons are the way of the future. That doesn't just include lasers.

 

[SunnyD]

Does it go "Pew Pew Pew"?

 

[rivan]

Let me know when I can mount them on my sharks.

 

[Baked]

Next stop, photon torpedoes.

 

[bvalpati]

Wonder what happens if you fire that thing at a mirror?

 

[judasmachine]

mount it on a Hercles nose, and stick a couple of Vulcans on the sides, and your cargo plane is now a deadly SOB.

 

[sdifox]

I imagine if they run coolants along the skin of the plane, it will chill it down fast enough.

 

[Riverhound777]

I want to see what kind of damage this can do to a building or a car/tank/animal carcass.

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: bvalpati
Wonder what happens if you fire that thing at a mirror?

It melts the mirror.

 

[Arcadio]

Originally posted by: AndrewR

Originally posted by: bvalpati
Wonder what happens if you fire that thing at a mirror?

It melts the mirror.

are u the guy who ruins jokes by overanalyzing them? You just ruined a hypothetically hilarious situation....

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Electric Amish

Very high power. Portable. Limited firing time. Unlimited range. All you'd need is a big spinning mirror and you could vaporize a human target from space.

c&c photon cannon

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Baked
Next stop, photon torpedoes.

Just as soon as we can make antimatter for less than a few trillion dollars per gram

 

[Gothgar]

cool

 

[Pocatello]

So when are they going to shrink it into a hand-held weapon?

 

[mooncancook]

Time to start inventing the laser shield

 

[bvalpati]

Originally posted by: AndrewR

Originally posted by: bvalpati
Wonder what happens if you fire that thing at a mirror?

It melts the mirror.

I'd need to see some proof of that before I believe it. Sure would be embarrassing if Boeing's God knows how expensive laser could be defeated by a $5 mirror.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: Arcadio

Originally posted by: AndrewR

Originally posted by: bvalpati
Wonder what happens if you fire that thing at a mirror?

It melts the mirror.

are u the guy who ruins jokes by overanalyzing them? You just ruined a hypothetically hilarious situation....

That is because they didn't use a first surface mirror.