Army Betting Big on Laser Weapons

[Thomas]

Boeing Building Laser Tanks

Boeing receives a military truck from Oshkosh that will carry a Boeing-built laser beam control system for the U.S. Army's High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD) program. "This demonstration program has successfully transitioned from the design phase to the fabrication phase," said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Missile Defense Systems' Directed Energy Systems unit. "

This solid-state laser weapon capability will provide speed-of-light, ultra-precision capability that will dramatically improve warfighters' ability to counter rocket, artillery and mortar projectiles." The eight-wheel, 500-horsepower HEMTT A4, a widely used military tactical vehicle, will be shipped to Boeing's facility in Huntsville this spring for integration with the laser's rugged beam control system.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

We can always count on US to develop Alien Technology please just admit you have alien technology like this is not even a secret ...anymore 40 years is far too long to hide it

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

This one is in field testing and may soon be deployed in Afghanistan. It is an AC-130 Laser gunship.

Advanced tactical laser aircraft fires high-power laser in flight

C-130 aircraft that carries the Advanced Tactical Laser - The Mil-Aero Command Post

YouTube - Boeing Advanced Tactical Laser In Action

It kinda ruined the paint job ... 200$ paint job will fix that problem

 

[Thomas]

HUNTSVILLE: The Boeing Company and the U.S. Army successfully completed a test in September in which a laser system mounted on an Avenger combat vehicle destroyed 50 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) similar to those used by adversaries in war zones.

During the laser firings Sept. 22-24 at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Laser Avenger neutralized multiple types of IEDs, including large-caliber artillery munitions and smaller bomblets and mortar rounds. The system operated at safe distances from the targets and under a variety of conditions, including different angles and ranges. Soldiers traveling with Laser Avenger would not have to get out of their armored vehicles or wait for an explosive ordnance disposal team to destroy an IED and continue their mission.

"Improvised explosive devices continue to threaten U.S. troops deployed in war zones, and Laser Avenger provides the ultra-precision, stand-off capability our war fighters need today to safely neutralize those threats," said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Missile Defense Systems' Directed Energy Systems unit. "In addition, Laser Avenger's versatility makes it useful in a wide range of battlefield conditions."

The U.S. Defense Department's Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) sponsored the test, which was conducted by Boeing and the Army Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space.

The test follows 2008 and 2009 demonstrations in which Laser Avenger shot down a small unmanned aerial vehicle in each event, and a 2007 demonstration in which an earlier version of Laser Avenger destroyed five targets representing IEDs and unexploded ordnance.

Boeing Directed Energy Systems in Albuquerque, N.M., and the Boeing Combat Systems Global Forces and Robotics Systems team in Huntsville cooperatively developed Laser Avenger, which integrates a directed-energy weapon together with the existing kinetic weapons on the proven Avenger air defense system developed by Combat Systems. Laser Avenger is a Boeing-funded initiative to demonstrate that directed energy weapons are maturing and are relevant to today's battlefield.

Boeing is developing laser systems for a variety of U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy war fighter applications. These systems include the Airborne Laser, Free Electron Laser, High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator and Tactical Relay Mirror System.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

 

[Thomas]

Boeing has been awarded a U.S. Navy contract valued at up to $163 million, with an initial task order of $6.9 million, to develop the Free Electron Laser (FEL) weapon system, which will transform naval warfare in the next decade by providing an ultra-precise, speed-of-light capability and unlimited magazine depth to defend ships against new, challenging threats, such as hyper-velocity cruise missiles.

Under the task order, awarded in April 2009 by the Office of Naval Research, Boeing will complete the preliminary design of the electric-powered Free Electron Laser, the key step toward building a FEL prototype for realistic tests at sea.

Boeing will partner with U.S. Department of Energy laboratories, academia and industry partners to design the laser.
This contract award is significant because it will be a cornerstone of the Navy's plan to incorporate directed energy systems into its future all-electric ship architecture

FELs are capable of achieving the megawatt power the Navy requires for ship defense. They operate by passing a beam of high-energy electrons through a series of powerful magnetic fields, causing the intense emission of laser light.

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/ic/des/files/DES_overview.pdf

 

[Thomas]

We can always count on US to develop Alien Technology please just admit you have alien technology like this is not even a secret ...anymore 40 years is far too long to hide it

who needs alien technology if your spending tens of billions in research and development.

 

[no_name]

Do you think laser on predator dones are more cost effective and convenient as compared to hellfire missiles.

I heard they are converting some sidewinders into air to ground mode. I think they are more economical if you just want to smoke terrorists and soft skinned vehicles.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

I saw this techno in Incrediable Hulk.
Same jeep and same looking weapon.

 

[Thomas]

Do you think laser on predator dones are more cost effective and convenient as compared to hellfire missiles.

I heard they are converting some sidewinders into air to ground mode. I think they are more economical if you just want to smoke terrorists and soft skinned vehicles.

predator is probably to small. would need to be global hawk size I would think.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

hahaha laser ^_^

I wonder if the laser can pieace thru smoke screen ....

 

[Thomas]

hahaha laser ^_^

I wonder if the laser can pieace thru smoke screen ....

yes it can!