DARPA testing planes with a 'Star Wars'-style laser cannon

Prepare yourself for a future filled with real-life pew pew! The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is working with Lockheed Martin to test "a new beam control turret... to give 360-degree coverage for high-energy laser weapons operating on military aircraft."

In other words, it stuck a primitive (by rebel standards) "Star Wars"-style laser cannon on a fighter jet and flew it over Michigan eight times.

"These initial flight tests validate the performance of our ABC turret design," Lockheed's Doug Graham said. in a release.

Cnet
If I'm reading this story right they were flight testing the airworthiness of a new beam control turret and not the new "Pew Pew" gun...

it doesn't appear that anyone or anything in the Great Lakes region was actually zapped as part of testing.

however we do know that the Navy's laser weapon is out of testing and set to deploy and that the Marine Corps want's there own version mounted on a Humvee or like... it was only a matter of time before the Air Force had to have there own "Pew Pew" guns too!

BTW there is a real "Pew Pew" Gun ... Lockheed Martin demonstrates weapons grade high power fiber laser

Lockheed Martin has demonstrated a 30-kilowatt electric fiber laser, the highest power ever documented while retaining beam quality and electrical efficiency.

The internally funded research and development program culminated in this demonstration, which was achieved by combining many fiber lasers into a single, near-perfect quality beam of light—all while using approximately 50 percent less electricity than alternative solid-state laser technologies. The unique process, called Spectral Beam Combining, sends beams from multiple fiber laser modules, each with a unique wavelength, into a combiner that forms a single, powerful, high quality beam.

Learn more about Pew Pew gun here
I guess no one at DARPA could figure out how to do the neutral particle beam thingy so this is what they came up with instead. Still if you happen to live in the Great Lakes region now's a time for that tinfoil hat or most any other laser reflective matrerials.

So now I know why that deer running across the road the other day had a big singed spot on it's butt.

a reply to: HardCorps

Ya thanks for the warning lol... I like the quote "it doesn't appear" ..... That's reassuring.

originally posted by: mindseye1609
a reply to: HardCorps

Ya thanks for the warning lol... I like the quote "it doesn't appear" ..... That's reassuring.

Okay, now answer honestly..
If you or I were the gunner behind that pew pew gun.
you would just have to take a couple of...test shots... you know... when no one was looking... like that rusty old car in the field over there... come on, I know ya want to

There weren't any reports of damage, though one BBQ chef was completely surprised when he turned round to find that the raw meat patties he had placed on an open grill were sizzling away even though the grill was not heated.

a reply to: HardCorps

I keep having visions of that movie they made popcorn with a satellite lol. I don't see how or why they woulda flown it around without testing it. Maybe they fired up?

And to answer your question.. I can think of a few politicians that could use with pew pewing here in MI. coulda been a great test of its capabilities!

a reply to: HardCorps

Cool. Lasers. Now DARPA can equip lasers on Big Dog or the exo-skeleton suit.

I always laugh when they say "Star Wars style lasers" because there aren't very many lasers in Star Wars, they use particle beam and charged particle beam weapons. And other than the Death Star, most lasers in Star Wars are worse than the normal particle beam weapons.

a reply to: mindseye1609

There was no laser on the plane. They were testing air worthiness of having the laser there. That's what I gather.

a reply to: OccamsRazor04


Roger that. I'm assuming its the dome that sorta looks like a window?

originally posted by: mindseye1609
a reply to: OccamsRazor04


Roger that. I'm assuming its the dome that sorta looks like a window?

Correct!

Thing is, if an aircraft mounted weapons-grade laser works to the level they'd want it to, things like fighter jets might be nearly obsolete. This is because of automated tracking and ability to instantly hit anything in your line of sight. It would be possible to mount a few laser pods on a big fat airframe like a B-52 and fly with the attitude of "Come at me bro!" Sounds ridiculous, but the idea is that interceptors and SAMs flying against such a platform wouldn't be able to make it halfway. (Or at least that's possible if you can detect them first. Basically the flying fortress idea revisited, but unlike the 50cals of WWII with limited range and so-so accuracy it's a weapon more than suited to such purpose.)

It's still in the early stages, but a lot has been done with this since the 1980's. It's being pushed harder on now, so apparently it has moved from hypothetical to feasible.

a reply to: pauljs75

Yes, what you would need would be a lot of power (which would be hard to fit on an airplane) and the ability to detect stealth objects.

Right now you almost need a nuclear reactor (which technically could go on a plane).

a reply to: pauljs75

That sounds good until you get the opposition shooting lasers back instead of missiles. If both sides have the lasers to shoot at each other what then? This is where it gets interesting. Pew pew you killed my battleship.

A possible defense against lasers is stealth, if you can't see it or detect it you can't shoot a laser at it.

a reply to: OccamsRazor04
The YAL-1 used a chemical laser, no nuke required. Even though they managed to knock down some missiles, it was still cancelled.

A chemical laser is nothing to sneeze at...close in.

a reply to: pauljs75

From what I'm seeing the laser isn't actually on the plane.. It's on a satellite right?

It's just the interaction/kill chain that was tested too right?

The pods are just for targeting?

I have like 10 more questions depending on the answers to these ones lol

a reply to: HardCorps

Laser weapons will be used in the next war. This is for sure.

Not only USA but other countries will also build laser weapons. These will be used to disable satellites.

However USA will fail to put laser weapon on fighter aircraft. The technology to put a viable laser on fighters does not exist at this time.

The lasers on other classes of aircraft like bombers will not get much success. Also anti-missile lasers mounted on aircraft will not yield expected results in real battle conditions. Lasers get affected by atmospheric conditions (presence of dust and water in air) and movement of the carrying platform etc.

Only land based lasers will get success, in anti-missile role as well. However not only USA but other countries will also build such lasers.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: OccamsRazor04
The YAL-1 used a chemical laser, no nuke required. Even though they managed to knock down some missiles, it was still cancelled.

A chemical laser is nothing to sneeze at...close in.

Yes but they have way too many problems and the fuel is depleted very fast, and I would imagine it would be much harder to miniaturize. I imagine that is why they cancelled it in favor of alternatives.

originally posted by: GargIndia
a reply to: HardCorps

Laser weapons will be used in the next war. This is for sure.

Not only USA but other countries will also build laser weapons. These will be used to disable satellites.

However USA will fail to put laser weapon on fighter aircraft. The technology to put a viable laser on fighters does not exist at this time.

The lasers on other classes of aircraft like bombers will not get much success. Also anti-missile lasers mounted on aircraft will not yield expected results in real battle conditions. Lasers get affected by atmospheric conditions (presence of dust and water in air) and movement of the carrying platform etc.

Only land based lasers will get success, in anti-missile role as well. However not only USA but other countries will also build such lasers.

You do know they already tested a laser that works in fog/dust right? You are way behind the times and your info is simply completely wrong.

originally posted by: mindseye1609
a reply to: pauljs75

From what I'm seeing the laser isn't actually on the plane.. It's on a satellite right?

It's just the interaction/kill chain that was tested too right?

The pods are just for targeting?

I have like 10 more questions depending on the answers to these ones lol

Lasers on a satellite is actually illegal. Although they are dumb not to do it.

These lasers will be on the actual plane. There was no laser on this plane, it was a test to determine how the pods impacted performance.