Earlier in the year, the US Navy deployed its first combat-ready laser weapon system in the Persian Gulf and now, after some field testing, we have a glorious video of the laser being used to blow up (unmanned) boats and drones. Im happy to report that laser weapons are as awesome as you may have hoped even if they dont look quitelike the beam weapons from Star Wars or Star Trek.
The Navys Laser Weapon System (LaWS) was deployed to the Persian Gulf back in April, on the USS Ponce a fairly humdrum amphibious ship. The LaWS had been extensively tested on land, but the Navy had to see if all of the various systems would work while bobbing around at sea. As you can see in the video below (which I strongly encourage you to watch), the answer is a resounding yes, LaWS works very well.
The LaWS consists of a 30-kilowatt solid-state infrared laser, a Phalanx CIWS (close-in weapon system) radar detection and tracking system, and a special computer terminal that controls the LaWS. Somewhat amusingly, the main interface with LaWS is a controller that looks a lot like an Xbox gamepad but more ruggedized and military-looking (pictured below). In the video, the LaWS disables a small Scan Eagle-class UAV, detonates a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), and burns out the engine of a small inflatable boat (RHIB). Following these successful tests, the US Navy has given the commander of USS Ponce permission to use the laser weapon in combat.
When it comes to laser weapons (or beam weapons in general), there are two key factors that determine its efficacy: Power output and targeting. The joyous thing about conventional bombs or nuclear weapons is that you can cram a lot of energy into a very small space and because the blast radius is massive, targeting doesnt have be perfect. Lasers, on the other hand by definition have to be extremely focused, and thus very accurately targeted. You cant blow up a house with a laser but you could snipe a soldier in the head from miles away, without touching anything else at all. Depending on your point of view, this makes laser weapons either very desirable (yay, less civilian causalities!) or not very useful at all (if you dont hit the drones engine perfectly, the laser is unlikely to cause crippling damage).
As far as the US Navy is concerned, they see laser weaponry as a good way of taking out small boats and planes that get uncomfortably close to its ships. Laser weapons can be fired very quickly, and the cost per shot is very low (something like $1, as opposed to thousands of dollars for a small missile). At 30 kilowatts (which is pretty weak for a laser), were not looking at a weapon that will change the rules of engagement but worry not, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) is already looking at developing a 150-kilowatt laser system, for testing in 2016 or 2017. At that kind of power output, you are then talking about a laser that can punch holes in the hulls of other large ships, or explode someones head from a few miles away.
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/195747-us-navys-first-laser-weapon-cleared-for-combat-blows-up-a-boat-a-small-plane-video
The Navys Laser Weapon System (LaWS) was deployed to the Persian Gulf back in April, on the USS Ponce a fairly humdrum amphibious ship. The LaWS had been extensively tested on land, but the Navy had to see if all of the various systems would work while bobbing around at sea. As you can see in the video below (which I strongly encourage you to watch), the answer is a resounding yes, LaWS works very well.
The LaWS consists of a 30-kilowatt solid-state infrared laser, a Phalanx CIWS (close-in weapon system) radar detection and tracking system, and a special computer terminal that controls the LaWS. Somewhat amusingly, the main interface with LaWS is a controller that looks a lot like an Xbox gamepad but more ruggedized and military-looking (pictured below). In the video, the LaWS disables a small Scan Eagle-class UAV, detonates a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), and burns out the engine of a small inflatable boat (RHIB). Following these successful tests, the US Navy has given the commander of USS Ponce permission to use the laser weapon in combat.
When it comes to laser weapons (or beam weapons in general), there are two key factors that determine its efficacy: Power output and targeting. The joyous thing about conventional bombs or nuclear weapons is that you can cram a lot of energy into a very small space and because the blast radius is massive, targeting doesnt have be perfect. Lasers, on the other hand by definition have to be extremely focused, and thus very accurately targeted. You cant blow up a house with a laser but you could snipe a soldier in the head from miles away, without touching anything else at all. Depending on your point of view, this makes laser weapons either very desirable (yay, less civilian causalities!) or not very useful at all (if you dont hit the drones engine perfectly, the laser is unlikely to cause crippling damage).
As far as the US Navy is concerned, they see laser weaponry as a good way of taking out small boats and planes that get uncomfortably close to its ships. Laser weapons can be fired very quickly, and the cost per shot is very low (something like $1, as opposed to thousands of dollars for a small missile). At 30 kilowatts (which is pretty weak for a laser), were not looking at a weapon that will change the rules of engagement but worry not, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) is already looking at developing a 150-kilowatt laser system, for testing in 2016 or 2017. At that kind of power output, you are then talking about a laser that can punch holes in the hulls of other large ships, or explode someones head from a few miles away.
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/195747-us-navys-first-laser-weapon-cleared-for-combat-blows-up-a-boat-a-small-plane-video
Last edited by a moderator:
