There's big news from the world of rayguns this week, as the US Navy has announced successful use of a laser cannon fitted to its well-known "R2-D2" robotic gun turret installation to shoot down other, flying robots in a test. The Laser Weapon System (LaWS) prototype. Credit: NAVSEA Shark-portability issues continue to dog the …
Are they getting paid by the word?
"This marks the first Detect-Thru-Engage laser shoot-down of a threat representative target in an over-the-water, combat representative scenario."
Translation: "Yippee! It works."
"The success of this effort validates the military utility of [rayguns] in a maritime environment. Further development and integration of increasingly more powerful lasers into Surface Navy LaWS will increase both the engagement range and target sets that can be successfully engaged and destroyed,"
Translation: "You ain't seen nuthin' yet."
Video or it didn't happen
did this one also take 7 minutes constant on a slowmoving, non-evading target at close range?
useless until it can take down something small and fast like a mortar or missile NOT a drone
btw - if they really wanna test it wrap the target in shiney reflective tinfoil and see if it still gets burnthrough
The range and shoot down capabilities are impressive but how long does it take to change its 30,000 AA batteries?
Don't be silly
Naval types use D-cells. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/25/noc_hot_bottom_expedition/
so what happens when missiles become obsolete?
all those expensive carriers with their plane-delivered ASMs suddenly look at bit silly...
Bring back the battleships
I would like to see a 15-inch armour-piercing shell taken out by a lazor...
cannons can cheerfully take out 4.5" shells
Ask the navy.. I'm sure theres some vid somewhere of it happening...
Can said lasers penetrate water effectively? I hear torpedoes make pretty explosions too.
Failing that, how about some lasersats? Laser fighter bombers? Laser battleships? Oh, the possibilities...
Not the robot, their use of 'thru'.
Missiles will only be obsolete when the *other* side gets this kind of system working. Given that in the past 20-30 years no country we know of has developed stealth capability anything like the F117 it is plausible that ASMs will have life to come yet.
Plus the carriers can still fly strike craft carrying bombs for supporting ground operations, not to mention air cover.
Charge of the light brigade
"...no country we know of has developed stealth capability anything like the F117..."
Ah yes, but would we know if they had exceeded it?
Seriously rubbish name, I mean really, they couldn't try harder to make it sound meaty? It needs to out-do the "phalynx" for gods sake, that just screams about how hung it is...
The real question is...
Can they mount it on a shark?
"in some cases to adjust the minimum speed something must be going at before it is fired on."
So does it have a setting for "bird?"
How long did it take...
To toast a target?
Does anyone know?
It's a success so...
Obama cancels the project in 3....2....1.....
Coming to a hunting party near you soon...
Ad reads "Kills and cooks your prey in seconds!"
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