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It's long been presumed that an output of at least 100kw would be necessary for an electric battlefield laser, and current tests are yielding 50-60 kw. Looks like that assessment is up for revision. Sometimes small and cheap trumps big and expensive.
In the summer of '06 Raytheon, the US Navy, US Air Force and Sandia conducted a series of tests to see if off-the-shelf fiber lasers could do anything militarily useful. Looks like the answer was yes and they only needed 10-20 kw;
Original story....
Updated article....
(COOL video of a mortar getting fried at the above link)
If they start hooking these things up to a guided gun mount like the Phalanx all bets are off.
In the summer of '06 Raytheon, the US Navy, US Air Force and Sandia conducted a series of tests to see if off-the-shelf fiber lasers could do anything militarily useful. Looks like the answer was yes and they only needed 10-20 kw;
Original story....
Updated article....
(COOL video of a mortar getting fried at the above link)
Using a bundle of fiber lasers, the group was able to zap the 60 mm munitions as they lay on the ground. Which, by all rights, shouldn't have been possible. 100 kilowatts is considered the minimum strength needed for mortar-blasting. This laser bundle had only 20 kilowatts of power. And its beam quality was terrible: Spread out all over the place, instead of in a nice, tight spot. So how did they pull it off? When the tests were first announced, I wondered if they just let the laser light shine on and on and on, until a hold got burnt in some metal.
Not so. It turns out that the laser's weakness -- its lousy beam quality -- was also its strength. By spreading out the laser's strength, the weapon was able to heat the mortar up -- and cause it to explode. Think of it like an explosive potato, left too long in a laser oven.
"The terrible beam quality was a bonus, because we were able to put more energy on the mortar," Booen tells DANGER ROOM. "In fact, a better-quality laser beam would've been problematic, because it might have burnt through the metal."
"We put some blasphemy into the laser community with that," he adds.
But there are some pretty serious military implications, as well. Speed-of-light weapons have been put on hold, for the moment, while electric lasers ramp up to battlefield strength. But if this fiber trick can be repeated, then there's no need to pause. We can get on with the ray guns.
Not so. It turns out that the laser's weakness -- its lousy beam quality -- was also its strength. By spreading out the laser's strength, the weapon was able to heat the mortar up -- and cause it to explode. Think of it like an explosive potato, left too long in a laser oven.
"The terrible beam quality was a bonus, because we were able to put more energy on the mortar," Booen tells DANGER ROOM. "In fact, a better-quality laser beam would've been problematic, because it might have burnt through the metal."
"We put some blasphemy into the laser community with that," he adds.
But there are some pretty serious military implications, as well. Speed-of-light weapons have been put on hold, for the moment, while electric lasers ramp up to battlefield strength. But if this fiber trick can be repeated, then there's no need to pause. We can get on with the ray guns.