USAF wants Lasers for its post 2030 Fighter.

news.usni.org...

The AFRL is particularly interested in lasers that would be at technology readiness level four (TRL4) by October 2014. That means the basic components are already integrated enough to work together in a lab. But the USAF wants the laser to be at TRL5 or better by 2022, which means the system’s components could be integrated with “reasonably realistic supporting elements” to be tested in a simulated environment.

An interesting request, especially if it was slaved to an EODAS and directable high energy X band Jamming capability. Hunt, Jam, Blind. The new 'three wise monkeys'

I just watched that video posted the other day about the new super body suit the army is working on, do you think this tech could be scaled down to fit onto that platform? That thought honestly bothers me...

reply to post by SolarObserver


ultimately right now, there is a HUGE problem with converting energys and then also the containment and release of it.

The reason large lasers are large is that you can run more lines to the "device", less means bottle necks and those are bad when you want to either dump or convert energy.

It may end up with extremely specialized one time use battery's used to power pulse lasers to get the desired effect. The idea that a single plane can fly around and cause bullet/missile type damage endlessly is pure fantasy. Well at least for the time being.

The new tech of self repairing batterys would go some way to help combat the tremendous task of keeping usable electrical energy stable and safe at the power levels required to be effective in place of chemical and kinetic weapons.

Biigs
reply to post by SolarObserver

 

ultimately right now, there is a HUGE problem with converting energys and then also the containment and release of it.

The reason large lasers are large is that you can run more lines to the "device", less means bottle necks and those are bad when you want to either dump or convert energy.

It may end up with extremely specialized one time use battery's used to power pulse lasers to get the desired effect. The idea that a single plane can fly around and cause bullet/missile type damage endlessly is pure fantasy. Well at least for the time being.

The new tech of self repairing batterys would go some way to help combat the tremendous task of keeping usable electrical energy stable and safe at the power levels required to be effective in place of chemical and kinetic weapons.

How many shots will they need? And 17 years .. that is a very long time to advance the technology. They don't need unlimited shots, they just need enough to match current weapon payloads, which are currently limited. I believe the F-22 has 8 missiles total.

reply to post by Astr0


I must wonder how such a fighter would stack up against a simple C-130-type plane with an x times more massive laser which means its range will out range anything the fighter can put the juice to. But then, who believes in fighters being around by that time except in the poorer countries?

By 2030 massive lasers for offensive work will be on non-orbiting space platforms (if not already) that can be moved over any theatre in a matter of minutes.

I always wondered if the shuttle wasn't covertly capable of being armed by some payload package,now they have that drone also what is REALLY in orbit?

Why don't they go for post 2030 peace... so you don't have to worry about the latest weapons to kill...

a reply to: Astr0

Why not make a microwave, or radiation laser. I know laser is an acronym but a focused high energy microwave or radiation pulse is far more effective at killing the crew of another aircraft, or a ground target. Kill the target, and the vehicle they control is toast, especially an aircraft incapacitate the pilot and the plane is toast.

Me thinks some in the Air Force (research labs) has been watching TOO much Battlestar Galactica......

PDUK

originally posted by: PurpleDog UK
Me thinks some in the Air Force (research labs) has been watching TOO much Battlestar Galactica......

PDUK

Not a laser to be seen on Galactica or the Vipers! Good old fashioned cannon rounds and shrapnel! Now, go frack some toasters!

USAF wants Lasers for its post 2030 Fighter

Well there's optimism for ya, to think there WILL be a USAF in 2030.........WW3 seems very close to me.

There will always be a USN.

Always.

Up above, down below, watching, waiting.

They're developing a laser jamming system for the F-35, and have been testing a bolt on Guardian countermeasure system for large transport aircraft. A weapon system is the logical next step.

originally posted by: Biigs
reply to post by SolarObserver

 

ultimately right now, there is a HUGE problem with converting energys and then also the containment and release of it.

The reason large lasers are large is that you can run more lines to the "device", less means bottle necks and those are bad when you want to either dump or convert energy.

It may end up with extremely specialized one time use battery's used to power pulse lasers to get the desired effect. The idea that a single plane can fly around and cause bullet/missile type damage endlessly is pure fantasy. Well at least for the time being.

The new tech of self repairing batterys would go some way to help combat the tremendous task of keeping usable electrical energy stable and safe at the power levels required to be effective in place of chemical and kinetic weapons.

i forsee a breakthrough with propane/butane/hydrogen reactors and capacitor tech. you could use a gas charge like a mag or a "Round" to create the energy that gets sent to a capacitor and ZAP go go laser blast. rail guns and emp weapons will most likely employ some sort of reactor too.

check this out brunton hydrogen reactor

theres propane and butane ones too. drop some darpa secret budget money and you got yourself energy weapons that dont look too different then what we have now.

a reply to: Astr0

They should use turbines on the aircraft to power mini generators, capacitors, and batteries.

A jet going mach 1 has allot of air flowing over and in it. I would harness that and use it to power a laser.

I bet they want this since there are newer threats from the east that challenge our air superiority.

It makes sense.

I would also consider mini short term nuclear reactors.

a reply to: mindseye1609
Yeah sounds good.

originally posted by: tadaman
a reply to: Astr0

They should use turbines on the aircraft to power mini generators, capacitors, and batteries.
A jet going mach 1 has allot of air flowing over and in it. I would harness that and use it to power a laser.

That produces a lot of drag and spinning blades are going to ruin your signature. On the otherhand, you have at least one large spinning gas turbine already on each aircraft... Why not siphon and harness a few of those RPMs....

originally posted by: tadaman
a reply to: Astr0

They should use turbines on the aircraft to power mini generators, capacitors, and batteries.

A jet going mach 1 has allot of air flowing over and in it. I would harness that and use it to power a laser.

I bet they want this since there are newer threats from the east that challenge our air superiority.

It makes sense.

I would also consider mini short term nuclear reactors.

a reply to: mindseye1609
Yeah sounds good.

Generating energy by the wind traveling over the plane simply will increase the drag making the engines work harder. All that wind energy is being generated by the craft's engines propelling it forward, which means the increase in drag will require a greater output of energy from the engines than the output you would get out of the wind generator. it would be more efficient to simply have some sort rotational output routed directly to a generator instead of converting several times by harvesting from moving air. But then we still have the problem of massive quantities of energy being required of the engines for a generator, while still having enough power for the craft to fly normally.

Having some sort of fuel cell, or perhaps chemical explosive power converted to electrical energy would probably be the best best for powering them right now, but who knows what kind of energy storing technology we'll have by the time they want this to come online. The amounts of energy required are truly huge, far more than a nuclear reactor small enough to fit on a jet could provide with anything like current tech.

I'm not really understanding the point of a fighter in general anymore, though, if lasers are in the equation. A larger commercial airline sized jet would be capable of producing a far more powerful, more sustained, and longer ranged laser than a fighter ever could due to simple scale. With lasers the whole advantage of speed and agility of the craft don't matter since automated controls can flick the turret on target and the beam reaches the craft faster than any pilot can maneuver anyway.

Seems like a better idea to have some drones slaved to a manned jet that are basically just laser platforms, then you'd have all the advantages of lasers while the manned jet would still be able to do everything else normally. I'm just trying to think of the handicap a jet with only lasers would be. I don't imagine there will be any room for guns or missiles with all the laser gear crammed into every nook and cranny, so what happens when the atmospheric conditions are bad, or your power system fails, etc and your basically a sitting duck.

a reply to: James1982

Because at this point lasers are just jamming systems, not actual weapons. The last attempt at putting a laser on a plane was the YAL-1A. The laser was so big that it took a 747-400 to carry it, and then they ran into problems with range, and weather causing problems, etc. Lasers with any kind of long range to them are still problematical for now. As jammers though, and short range systems like that, they work pretty well.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: James1982

Because at this point lasers are just jamming systems, not actual weapons. The last attempt at putting a laser on a plane was the YAL-1A. The laser was so big that it took a 747-400 to carry it, and then they ran into problems with range, and weather causing problems, etc. Lasers with any kind of long range to them are still problematical for now. As jammers though, and short range systems like that, they work pretty well.

Well that explains it! I was thinking they were talking about smaller versions of the ones they were testing out on the 747s before, which was impressive considering the downscaling that would be involved!

I guess star wars is still a few years out in that case

a reply to: James1982

No, it's more like this. That's the NG Guardian system testing on a KC-135. It's a bolt on system in testing, that detects any MANPADS or other SAM system launched at the aircraft, and fires a laser at it. The laser works best against an IR missile, by blinding the seeker head, so it can't see the target anymore.