Boeing: Blown Away HEL MD Destroys Mortors Mid Flight

Fricken Lazors. This is a deployable game changer. Enough of these could render enemy range weapons useless. This is the real deal and I cannot imagine Israel wont be buying these if allowed. You know they must have scaled up versions of this that can be space based or larger land based versions to destroy incoming ICBM's. Wonder if that is what USAF has been installing out there on Okaloosa Island these last years.

I imagine it can blow up Aircraft even easier too if they can be tracked. Imagine an AWACS type aircraft with a pair of these mounted on it with 100 mile ranges...its coming if not already installed.

Source

Boeing’s High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD) team has used a solid state laser to destroy mortars and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). A laser destroys targets with pinpoint precision within seconds of acquisition, then acquires the next target and keeps firing.

Putin wont like this. Not much you can do about it though.

originally posted by: [post=18573966]
Putin wont like this. Not much you can do about it though.

I'd imagine they've had a copy of it for a while, they may not be boasting but i'm sure their spy network has seen the plans and may have even built their own version

originally posted by: Xeven

Fricken Lazors.

Given the state of modern technical developments it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Defense, Offense, counter Defense, counter Offense, counter, counter Defense, counter, counter Offense, counter, counter, counter D....

Putin wont like this. Not much you can do about it though.

Baiting?

originally posted by: Maxatoria

originally posted by: [post=18573966]
Putin wont like this. Not much you can do about it though.

I'd imagine they've had a copy of it for a while, they may not be boasting but i'm sure their spy network has seen the plans and may have even built their own version

It is certainly possible but Russia has shown over and over it has difficulty financing and manufacturing stuff they steal especially high tech stuff.

originally posted by: SLAYER69

originally posted by: Xeven

Fricken Lazors.

Given the state of modern technical developments it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Defense, Offense, counter Defense, counter Offense, counter, counter Defense, counter, counter Offense, counter, counter, counter D....

Putin wont like this. Not much you can do about it though.

Baiting?

Not intentionally baiting. I follow politics and Putin. Was just a thought that came to mind when I read this. Putin wont like it. Will cause problems due to that. He hates our missile defenses. I cannot imagine he wont doubly hate this weapon system. Worth discussing. Not sure it would be worth starting another topic on the subject to discuss the political ramifications of such weapon systems. Probably best to disucss the system and related issues in one thread.

originally posted by: Xeven
Not intentionally baiting. I follow politics and Putin. Was just a thought that came to mind when I read this. Putin wont like it. Will cause problems due to that. He hates our missile defenses. I cannot imagine he wont doubly hate this weapon system. Worth discussing.

Whether he hates it or not is not really important.

Missile Defense doesn't mean defending missiles, it means a defensive system against attacking missiles. Russia has plenty of their own toys. The West has theirs.

Now, if we can keep from knocking over each others blocks and play nice, there may be juice and cookies after nap time.

originally posted by: SLAYER69

originally posted by: Xeven
Not intentionally baiting. I follow politics and Putin. Was just a thought that came to mind when I read this. Putin wont like it. Will cause problems due to that. He hates our missile defenses. I cannot imagine he wont doubly hate this weapon system. Worth discussing.

Whether he hates it or not is not really important.

Missile Defense doesn't mean defending missiles, it means a defensive system against attacking missiles. Russia has plenty of their own toys. The West has there. Now, if we can keep from knocking over each others blocks and play nice together their may be juice and cookies after nap time.

Yeah of course. Putin seems to have a raw spot when it comes to US system designed to defeat his ICBM's, so much so that some speculate his capture of Crimea and forays into Ukraine are related to the US putting up missile defenses in Europe. He seems livid about it. Willing to go to extremes to counter it.

This system and systems like it give the west an additional chess piece that Putin wont like. It is his counter move that worries me. Escalation.

Wonder if they can scale this down to put on fighter Aircraft. I am sure it is not far down the road. I wish we spent all this money on space exploration instead.

a reply to: Xeven

Airborne laser already trialled...and failed.

Too bad Boeing couldn't get YAL-1 to work effectively....

yal1

Former Secretary of Defense Gates said that "I don't know anybody at the Department of Defense, Mr. Tiahrt, who thinks that this program should, or would, ever be operationally deployed. The reality is that you would need a laser something like 20 to 30 times more powerful than the chemical laser in the plane right now to be able to get any distance from the launch site to fire." "So, right now the ABL would have to orbit inside the borders of Iran in order to be able to try and use its laser to shoot down that missile in the boost phase. And if you were to operationalize this you would be looking at 10 to 20 747s, at a billion and a half dollars apiece, and $100 million a year to operate. And there's nobody in uniform that I know who believes that this is a workable concept."[19] The Air Force did not request further funds for the Airborne Laser for 2010; Air Force Chief Schwartz has said that the system "does not reflect something that is operationally viable."[20][21] In December 2011, it was reported that the project was to be ended after 16 years of development and a cost of over $5 billion.[22] On 14 February 2012, the YA-1 flew her final mission to Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ and was placed in storage at the AMARG.[23] As of 2013 studies are underway to apply the lessons of the YAL-1 by mounting laser anti-missile defenses on Unmanned combat air vehicles that could fly above the altitude limits of the converted jetline

a reply to: Xeven

Any examples?

a reply to: Xeven

if i'm not mistaken there is a anti missile system that was or is under development.

yes was is. it was canceled due to budget cuts.

The Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser Testbed (formerly Airborne Laser) weapons system is a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified Boeing 747-400F. It is primarily designed as a missile defense system to destroy tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs), while in boost phase. The aircraft was designated YAL-1A in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Defense.[1] The YAL-1 with a low-power laser was test-fired in flight, at an airborne target in 2007.[2] A high-energy laser was used to intercept a test target in January 2010,[3] and the following month, successfully destroyed two test missiles.[4] Funding for the program was cut in 2010 and the program was canceled in December 2011.[5] It made its final flight on February 14, 2012 to Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona to be prepared and kept in storage at the "Boneyard" by the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group.
Boeing YAL-1

More advances in death and destruction game. Can some one play the Star Spangled Banner.

I wonder how this one will back fire?

a reply to: CovertAgenda

man i hate being slow.

a reply to: hounddoghowlie

Here is an excerpt from an Army PDF. Seems it can be scaled up. With the upcoming van sized Fusion Reactor from Lockheed Martin one can imagine having the power to scale this up for airborne use. The YAL-1 was a chemical laser and had Range issues due to low power. Given enough power and electric laser might give you the range and power needed for an Airborne defense platform. The targeting and tracking systems on the YAL-1 were completely successful over long distances.

Link is to a PDF not a web page.

Army Fact Sheet

Current demonstrations utilize a 10 kW-class laser. In
the future, a 50 kW-class laser will be integrated into the
HEL MD platform. The 50 kW laser will be increased to a 100 kW-class laser two years later. The supporting thermal
and power subsystems will be upgraded to support the increasingly
powerful electric lasers. These additions increase
the effective range of the laser while decreasing lase time
on target. Additionally, onboard all weather sensors will be
integrated for autonomous surveillance and fire control.

Talk about a hi value target.

image

Hundred millions of dollars of whiz bang to stop a mortar round.

ETA: Now all they need is a modification that bends light to get the mortar crew.

originally posted by: intrptr
Talk about a hi value target.

image

Hundred millions of dollars of whiz bang to stop a mortar round.

If that round were to be heading in yours or someone you loved direction I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that you'd be grateful for it's protective capabilities.


Not that I'm expecting you to admit it.



ETA: I now see you have ETA

a reply to: SLAYER69

If that round were to be heading in yours or someone you loved direction I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that you'd be grateful for it's protective capabilities.

Shooting down incoming rounds is fine and all.

For the per unit cost we could buy a bunch of artillery and take out the guns, though.

a reply to: intrptr

Rest assured counter battery radar/technology/techniques/fire exists and work just fine.

originally posted by: SLAYER69
a reply to: intrptr

Rest assured counter battery radar/technology/techniques/fire exists and work just fine.

Oh, is that why we aren't winning in places like Afghanistan?

originally posted by: Xeven
This is the real deal and I cannot imagine Israel wont be buying these if allowed.

Israeli defense company Rafael already announced their own version, called the "Iron Beam" - they use *two* lasers, currently in the "tens of kilowatt" range, but plan to move into the hundreds. Deploying next year, apparently, range variously specified as "2 km" and 4.5 miles" - quite a difference, that.

www.janes.com...