Northrop advance brings era of the laser gun closer

I found this article. It's from a couple of months ago and I did not find any more information about. I did a quick search to see if it was previously posted and found Zip. I thought this sounded familiar but could not place it until....

I remembered seeing an article that was online about the now defunct TRW which was purchased by Northrop Grumman. The article is from 1972 and is discussing what was then in " The Works" Now either they have been sitting on it all these years or they finally have made it work. Either way they are touting it as a break through. Please read the articles provided. There's kind of a cheesy video but it's informative.

The question becomes why has it taken this long to finally come out with it?


Northrop advance brings era of the laser gun closer

Northrop Grumman Corp. engineers in Redondo Beach have developed an electric laser capable of producing a deadly 100-kilowatt ray of light, a major milestone that is expected to help transform what was once a Buck Rogers space fantasy into reality.

Announced Wednesday, the landmark achievement -- long considered a Holy Grail for weapon developers -- opens the way for development of laser weapons small enough to fit in a fighter jet yet powerful enough to destroy an enemy craft in the blink of an eye.

TRW 1972 Now, the Death Ray?

But other properties of the laser give military strategists powerful incentives to overcome these difficulties. Ordinary bullets and missiles follow arcing trajectories that must be carefully calculated in advance; laser beams are virtually unaffected by the pull of the earth's gravity or by winds, and fly as straight as the proverbial arrow. Traveling at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second), they reach their targets literally in a flash; even a computer-controlled ICBM could not maneuver fast enough to get out of their path.

Such sophisticated weaponry is probably at least a decade away, but more down-to-earth military uses of the laser may be much closer at hand. TRW Systems in Redondo Beach, Calif., for instance, is working on a portable chemical laser (which produces a beam from the energy released in the reaction of two or more chemicals) that could be carried into battle by a unit of only three men. Aimed like a rifle, it would silently burn a fatal, quarter-inch-wide hole in the body of an enemy soldier up to five miles away. "Once you've got him in your sights," says a TRW engineer, "you've got him. There are no misses."

TRW

On December 12, 2002, Northrop Grumman acquired the corporation.[1] The defense business was retained by Northrop Grumman. An 80.1% stake (later increased to more than 90%) in TRW Automotive Holdings, including the former LucasVarity Automotive, was spun off to The Blackstone Group, with John C. Plant retaining his position as President and the new company being renamed TRW Automotive Inc. TRW Aeronautical Systems, formerly Lucas Aerospace, was purchased by the American Goodrich Corporation.

[edit on 19-5-2009 by SLAYER69]

Well I've been searching haven't found anything else on it. The video in the first link shows a lot of graphics that depict the TALON system which this is not.

This should not be confused with this system.

so the same tech they use to hit mid flight missiles is now going to be in the hands of the ordinary foot soldier. This will take time to be practical cost wise.

Hmm sounds very interesting. IF we can perfect this just imagine the possibilities at our disposal.

Originally posted by phi1618
so the same tech they use to hit mid flight missiles is now going to be in the hands of the ordinary foot soldier. This will take time to be practical cost wise.

No more or no less than what they are using now. They'll probably "Outsource" the production. I can just see it now. Power packs from Taiwan, The laser lens from Germany the final assembly in either China or Mexico

Originally posted by ConspiracySquid7
Hmm sounds very interesting. IF we can perfect this just imagine the possibilities at our disposal.

Oh don't worry I'm sure as soon as it becomes operational there will be some advocacy groups that will protest it's use on the battle field calling inhumane or something. Like as if present warfare inst inhumane?

Thats awesome! Now if only they could make it available to law enforcement. For a gun collector such as myself, I cant stand not being able to get one of those things.

reply to post by Hound


I wonder what they we retail for?
Probably by the time they will come to market they will get banned.

one last shameless bump.
No more replys?
now that is a conspiracy!

i like what you did there. When did Boeing and Northrop start making weapons? And for very strange reason Northrop is right here in my back yard. And the Blackstone Group. Also very close in fact my wife works for bnymellon right there. I went into Blackstone one time by accident. The place was so filthy rich granite and marble with gold overlay . Can we connect the dots here to zdeep? I cant believe this. I have to go look at the physical address. its right there. And Boeing is not that far either. Anyway love your posts.

originally posted by: Speckle
When did Boeing and Northrop start making weapons?

Both have been making weapons for decades.

A robotics programmer I met a few years ago made his own laser. He obtained the rangefinder of an Abrams and put it in of all things, the old Nintendo duck hunt gun. It wasnt very powerful but it could burn through paper or thin clothing in a second.

If he could do that as a hobby in 2011, I cant imagine what the army could put out.