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Posted: 7/5/2015 1:22:38 PM EDT
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/07/05/boeings-new-laser-gun-could-be-a-game-changer-for.aspx?source=eogyholnk0000001
Read the entire article. Able to be assembled in just 15 minutes, LWS is capable of generating an energy beam of up to 10 kilowatts that can, depending on the power level, be used to acquire, track, and identify a target -- or even destroy it -- at ranges of at least 22 miles. The weapon is designed specifically to track and attack moving aerial targets such as incoming artillery rounds, and low-flying aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. U.S. Special Operations forces are currently testing LWS, with "multiple" branches of the U.S. military expressing interest -- and no wonder. According to Boeing, a laser gun such as LWS offers the military a "low cost per shot and an infinite magazine" -- both very attractive attributes. Indeed, in a press release, Boeing observed that "with a steady power supply, the Compact LWS can fire continuously." Such a weapon, once operational, might be used to sweep a battlefield, destroying everything it contacts, making it a significant force multiplier for dismounted infantry units. |
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Who needs a stealth fighter if a Boeing 747 could destroy with directed-energy weapons everything that got thrown at it? Who needs an M1 Abrams if a Stryker can lase every RPG or ATGM or tank projectile thrown at it?
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Hillary will sell it to the Chinese for campaign contributions.
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Quoted:
Who needs a stealth fighter if a Boeing 747 could destroy with directed-energy weapons everything that got thrown at it? Who needs an M1 Abrams if a Stryker can lase every RPG or ATGM or tank projectile thrown at it? View Quote It seems to me at that point being the last one to be seen is more important than ever. |
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Article uses both "force multiplier" and "game changer".
It's so exciting. |
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It's unfair that only the US would have such a weapon.
#enemylivesmatter |
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I love how they mention "unlimited capacity" then admit it's battery powered. What's it good for currently? Three shots?
They problem with high powered lasers is the same as it has always been, providing power to them. |
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"...an infinite magazine" -- both very attractive attributes. Indeed, in a press release, Boeing observed that "with a steady power supply, the Compact LWS can fire continuously." View Quote Did not read article......but continuous firing? Until it over heats.... |
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Having an over-watch squad taking out artillery rounds, mortar rounds and RPGs sounds like an incredible 'leg-up' for infantry troops. Gotta wonder how long it will be before this stuff is scaled down to fit in a rux. |
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Quoted:
I love how they mention "unlimited capacity" then admit it's battery powered. What's it good for currently? Three shots? They problem with high powered lasers is the same as it has always been, providing power to them. View Quote Read the article with a magazine article filter. Mostly nothing in the article is a fib, but the details are absent. |
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This shit or some variant gets trotted out once a month it seems.
Another commercial for .gov waste and kickbacks. Yay |
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Quoted:
Who needs a stealth fighter if a Boeing 747 could destroy with directed-energy weapons everything that got thrown at it? Who needs an M1 Abrams if a Stryker can lase every RPG or ATGM or tank projectile thrown at it? View Quote I'm no geographist, but it's possible that ramjet projectiles could move fast enough that the laser would have difficulty tracking. There's always a counter option. The article doesn't say what wavelength the laser radiates in, but it's easy to make a CCD sensitive in IR and ultraviolet, which would make it stand out like a sore thumb for a man with a rifle to put one round into it. Stuff like that usually doesn't work too well with even a single speed hole. It could lead to the end of indirect fire, though I'm sure they probably said the same when the Firefinder RADAR system was developed. It tracks mortar, artillery, or rocket rounds and outputs a grid co-ordinate of where the fire came from before the first round impacts. It is also capable of transmitting that data digitally to the FDC. Because American mortar and artillery are so fucking good and because our met and survey data is excellent, the practical upshot is that we can have an FFE mission on the way before the second enemy round lands. That is, if commanders understand the deployment and advantages of the system. In practice, it has a few flaws that complicate things and command rarely uses it to full effect anyway. When I deployed to Kandahar province with an AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder RADAR in '05-'06 what actually happened was that we would be sent somewhere that was receiving a lot of mortar fire and the enemy would see the RADAR and switch to direct firing old Soviet ballistic rockets. Then they would send us somewhere else. Same story. |
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