US Fighter Jets To Get Lasers

DARPA

news.com.au

The future is here! I don't know if it's a good thing though...

So DARPA is planning to test fighter jets mounted with lasers as early as 2014, they are also developing HELLADS (High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defence System), which is illustrated in the picture above, I assume that's an anti-aircraft weapon.

This is pretty crazy, considering the power needed for such powerful lasers I wonder if this is actually better than the good ol' bullet and gunpowder method which is so last century. I suppose it would be much better to take down fast moving fighter jets since lasers move so much faster than bullets, you would basically hit exactly where you aim. I think I would prefer to see this kind of money, time and technology going in to something other than ways to kill people but it's pretty cool none the less.

reply to post by SpearMint


More likely it's a defense against surface/air-to-air missiles and as a fast, reusable, endless supply of decoy targets.

As well, you could use it against pilots and to some extent their aircraft, especially if you could get them close enough at Mach to knock some big dents in their skin, or slag a hole.

No need to blow up any air craft if you blind the pilot?

150kW... that's a lot of blu ray burners...

this shows 450mW... blu ray leds..



I would not want to be on the looking end of one of any of them.. hell even a .5mW red laser hurts if you catch you eye.