US Navy tests laser cannon

[orangesunset]

Not sure if this one will be a game changer, but if they can mount lasers on ships, soon they will be able to mount them on tanks and maybe even aircraft. Possibly they might be able to mount them on satellites even.

US navy shows off ship-based laser weapon in Persian Gulf
The 30-kilowatt laser is capable of destroying targets on speeding boats or even aircraft with pin-point accuracy, officials have said

US navy shows off ship-based laser weapon in Persian Gulf | US news | The Guardian

 

[UAE]

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Welcome to the new era of technology.

 

[UAE]

 

[tournique]

This looks amazing. It's incredible that we got technology so fast and so advanced. I do not know if I should be impressed or scared.

 

[globulon]

The development of laser weapons, a tell-tale sign we are living in the future! In all seriousness, this is a cool huge step in weapons development. Laser-based weapons would be a revolutionary step over ballistic arms.

 

[tournique]

@globulon at least you could have avoided some ballistic missiles. You're gonna have a bad time dodging lasers now.

 

[vegito12]

I like the look of the design and can detect who is a foe or a friend and than will let the plane or ship pass if it is a friend or someone not fighting the navy which is good and easy to do now. I wander who pays the costs and how much to fire one and, is it working well and doing what it is meant to do and is it likely to malfunction when working. I heard it costs $1 dollar per shot to fire the laser and $40 million to build the laser cannon and hope the $1 dollar per shot is able to make returns as they may have to raise the cost if they are not making money back from this.

 

[tournique]

So the device works only by heating up the ballistics by rays. Could this be countered by reflective surfaces?

 

[JulianWilliams]

The future is here I suppose. I don't think they'd be of much use on any platforms other than ships because they do use a lot of energy but they do make sense as tools for what they intend to use them for.

 

[rares209]

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Thanks for the picture! It really sums up the capabilities of this military masterpiece. I don't know about you guys, but I think this Laser weapon is just amazing. And this is just the beginning in my opinion, because they will surely improve it. Maybe even more power or better traking sensors. It looks like a successful project.

 

[RingoBerry]

US Navy's new laser weapon is ready for action.
They claim that it costs less than $1 a shot.

"Laser weapons are powerful, affordable and will play a vital role in the future of naval combat operations," Rear Adm. Matthew L. Klunder, chief of naval research, said in a statement. "We ran this particular weapon, a prototype, through some extremely tough paces, and it locked on and destroyed the targets we designated with near-instantaneous lethality."

Deadly, accurate and cost efficient.

 

[xTinx]

Can't they do something similar for ground warfare? How about tanks, drones or fighter planes that fire lasers? Investing in laser type weapons would make a significant difference in war outcomes. I do think it would be wiser if countries refrain from announcing to the rest of the world the types of weapons they use for combat. Or, they could reserve a particular type and use it as their trump card during wars. This tactic would give them an advantage.

 

[Lieutenant]

Merged.

 

[RingoBerry]

Can't they do something similar for ground warfare? How about tanks, drones or fighter planes that fire lasers? Investing in laser type weapons would make a significant difference in war outcomes. I do think it would be wiser if countries refrain from announcing to the rest of the world the types of weapons they use for combat. Or, they could reserve a particular type and use it as their trump card during wars. This tactic would give them an advantage.

The US only announced their laser weapon late last year though its safe to assume that they have already thought of adding this weapon to the rest of their artillery. I'm kind of curious on how they will come up with a more compact version of that thing.