Guest Posted July 19, 2010 (edited) Woah! When I read the article title, I thought they meant some kind of designator, but no, it's an actual sci-fi style laser beam that simply blows aircraft out the sky. (The beam is invisible though, no big war of the worlds red laser beams!) It was only unveiled recently by US firm Raytheon, and is primarily designed for use against UAV's which are moderately easy to target. This new type of laser does not require chemical reactions to gain it's power, which was a very dangerous and inefficient way to get energy. Instead it is a solid state laser, using nothing but glass and ceramics, no danger to crews! Read the article and watch video here here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10682693 Pretty interesting, I wonder where this technology might be in 10 years! Richie. P.S: I know the development is not new itself, but this new version which was in the news today is pretty interesting. Also good for people like me who didn't previously know about the technology lol! Edited July 19, 2010 by Guest Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darkhorse 1-6 16 Posted July 20, 2010 The United States already has airborne platforms that use lasers, I believe they are Anti Ballistic Missile roles, and they may not be in active service yet. I'll do some digging, see if I can find out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakerod 254 Posted July 21, 2010 The United States already has airborne platforms that use lasers, I believe they are Anti Ballistic Missile roles, and they may not be in active service yet. I'll do some digging, see if I can find out. Yeah I think its mounted on a 747 or something like that. Last I heard though it has been failing its anti-missile tests. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
echo1 0 Posted July 21, 2010 They've declared it inviable. Just a toy for testing really. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barely-injured 0 Posted July 21, 2010 (edited) They've declared it inviable. Just a toy for testing really. Really ? when was that ? ...... just a couple of days ago i was reading about somebody from Boeing bragging about successful tests and how awesome the laser technology is and that they are thinking of expanding it for other targets. I dont remember how old the report was though, and as expected I cant seem to find it now :( Edit: oh wait found it here Edited July 21, 2010 by Barely-injured Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LCN 10 Posted July 21, 2010 Yes, it's on a 747. I saw it in SVJ (french paper). It's pretty impressive but the system used to create the beam most be huge. As with computers, the first task will be to reduce height without power. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
echo1 0 Posted July 21, 2010 Really ? when was that ? ...... just a couple of days ago i was reading about somebody from Boeing bragging about successful tests and how awesome the laser technology is and that they are thinking of expanding it for other targets.I dont remember how old the report was though, and as expected I cant seem to find it now :( Edit: oh wait found it here Here They'll probably make a new version with the sort of solid state used in the anti-air laser in the original post. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
