Soviets Field Laser Tank Before US

The Soviet Union has managed to get a tank armed with a laser into the battlefield. The Soviet 1K17 laser tank with the Szhatie battlefield laser system was IN THE FIELD all the way back in the early 90s. I bet this thing had the Pentagon pretty freaked out when they first saw it. It's got PLENTY of intimidation value. If I saw one of these coming my way I'd be quickly moving the other way.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/a5b0f65a9af8.jpg[/atsimg]
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A Russian website released pictures and info about the tank recently. The design was put into the field shortly before the Soviet Union collapsed and was taken out of service and site quickly. The pictures are from a museum.

Here's a link to the Russian site. I suggest Google Translate.
otvaga2004.narod.ru...

i doubt that, an f-22 can knock it out without it firing a single shot. so can a cruise missile and any precision guided bomb.

when they come with a stealth tank, then the pentagon will be worried.

reply to post by randomname


The laser wasn't a kill or shoot down weapon. It was more like a visual Electronic Counter Measure. It wasn't meant to kill it was intended to confuse. If you can't see you can't fight.

Actually, it's primitive by todays standards and you're right a modern smart weapon would home in on it and destroy it easily. It's similar to an old style ground to air missile radar system. Once its been turned on it's only a matter of time until someone homes in on it. Within minutes of this laser becoming active on the battlefield it would be destroyed.

reply to post by LazyGuy


True...

It could be used for "ranging" although at least three of them would have to deployed within the "ARC area" of the suspect target to make use of the data.

Originally posted by randomname
i doubt that, an f-22 can knock it out without it firing a single shot. so can a cruise missile and any precision guided bomb.

when they come with a stealth tank, then the pentagon will be worried.

Which the British are currently working on.

only one prototype built - then mothballed ? that hints at feild ineffectiveness - there are scores of other soviet projects prototyped in the 80s that continued development and are still in russian service use , so just my ipinion but the fall of the soviet union had nothing to do with the shelving of the k17 project - it was its own ineffectivness that doomed it

reply to post by LazyGuy


This is off topic, but this does involve tanks and their vulnerabilities.

Has anyone seen the video of a shoulder-fired Israeli anti-tank weapon supposedly taking out a Syrian tank? The "missile" is plainly visible in its path and seems to drastically change directions as it nears the tank and almost completes a narrow, complete circle before penetrating the side of the turret and creating a spectacular amount of fireworks.

Tanks, like all ship at seas and slow, transport-type of aircraft are from yesterday's war, obsolete.

if thats real you know we have one. we can just keep ours a seceret

reply to post by theblackirish7


Maybe..

www.seattlepi.com...

www.prahlad.org...

I don't know how trustworthy these sources are but they're talking about directed energy weapons allegedly being used by US forces in Iraq.

that's kind of a Yeah But...

The USAF has been messing around with an airborne laser platform going back to the 1980's the current gen is a decked out 747... that laser is intended to shoot down incoming missiles...uses a fluoride chemical laser if I remember and the gas they get after lasing is so poisonous one breath will kill ya

No I'm no expert but my father-in-law was on the developmental design team... on his mantel he has a cast of the first Laser firing at a steel target, pretty impressive seeing as how that was done over 20 years ago

Hate to burst your bubble but the Soviet Union no longer exists and don't try to argue that it does.

It collapsed around 20 years ago.

I'm sorry.

It says it was put into the field before the Soviet Union collapsed!

Still, if we're to be picky, the correct term to use would be Russians.

I saw this posted on EnglishRussia.com a few days ago. Interesting stuff.

Originally posted by DaddyBare
that's kind of a Yeah But...

The USAF has been messing around with an airborne laser platform going back to the 1980's the current gen is a decked out 747... that laser is intended to shoot down incoming missiles...uses a fluoride chemical laser if I remember and the gas they get after lasing is so poisonous one breath will kill ya

The Soviets had mobile THEL platforms during the late 60s, even tested them out against Chinese aircraft in minor Soviet-Sino skirmishes.

I really like the image in the OP; I've seen a few artist renditions of when this vehicle was actually tested in 1980s Afghanistan.

Here's a bunch of relevant photos:





On top of the THEL land vehicle projects, the Soviets also had an airbourne prototype during the 90s and had a few bases with massive laser-producing structures, some even with ASAT capabilities (Americans also have this tech).

The Soviets were also experts with pioneering laser technology for all purposes. I had a buddy in Estonia who took a bunch of pictures of an abandoned Soviet ICBM base; he showed various checkpoints where there were secret laser sensors guarding the perimeter.

Originally posted by Kram09
Hate to burst your bubble but the Soviet Union no longer exists and don't try to argue that it does.

It collapsed around 20 years ago.

I guess I could have been a little more sensationalistic in my title by using Russia, but I didn't think about it.

reply to post by LazyGuy


I agree the stealth fighter planes of the US will eat this one alive. The US is far ahead now in terms of combat weaponry.

Originally posted by taboy74
reply to post by LazyGuy

 

I agree the stealth fighter planes of the US will eat this one alive. The US is far ahead now in terms of combat weaponry.

Wow, keep dreaming. Modern Russian SAMs are already designed to track and intercept American stealth aircraft. This laser tech is oldschool, why would the Russians field such old laser tech when they've already evolved into newer generations of advanced weaponry?

And this mobile laser unit is over 20 years old and is abandoned. It wasn't even designed for anti-air capabilities as it was designed as an ECM. Do you know that an effective countermeasure against laser-guided bombs/missiles is more lasers? And this weapon itself was made to overheat sensors in enemy weapons.

Originally posted by LazyGuy
I bet this thing had the Pentagon pretty freaked out when they first saw it. It's got PLENTY of intimidation value. If I saw one of these coming my way I'd be quickly moving the other way.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/a5b0f65a9af8.jpg[/atsimg]
Source

You should move the other way because it might blind you, but I doubt it could do anything else but possibly run over you.

This thing is nothing more than trying to put a bunch of laser pointers on a tank chassis. Think about it logically. If American high-powered lasers need a 747 sized aircraft to hold all the components, how did the basically low-tech russians fit it all in one tank?

Pentagon freaked out? More likely laughing there a$$es off. As someone else said, if they only created 1 prototype, then the russians must not have been to impressed, either.

reply to post by centurion1211


How did the Russians pack all that laser tech onto a tank chasis? Because they are years ahead of the US in laser tech. The Soviets had satellites using lasers to paint primitive American satellites in orbit in the early 60s, much to the amusement of Soviet generals.

reply to post by LazyGuy


Not surprising.

Thanks for posting.