US successfully tested a laser weapon that can destroy aircraft mid-flight

[Budi]

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/05/22/asia/us-navy-lwsd-laser-intl-hnk-scli/index.html

The US successfully tested a laser weapon that can destroy aircraft mid-flight

A US Navy warship has successfully tested a new high-energy laser weapon that can destroy aircraft mid-flight, the Navy's Pacific Fleet said in a statement Friday.

Images and videos provided by the Navy show the amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland executing "the first system-level implementation of a high-energy class solid-state laser" to disable an aerial drone aircraft, the statement said.

The images show the laser emanating from the deck of the warship. Short video clips show what appears to be the drone burning.



The Navy did not give a specific location of the laser weapons system demonstrator (LWSD) test, saying only that it occurred in the Pacific on May 16.


The power of the weapon was not disclosed, but a 2018 report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies said it was expected to be a 150-kilowatt laser.

"By conducting advanced at sea tests against UAVs and small crafts, we will gain valuable information on the capabilities of the Solid State Laser Weapons System Demonstrator against potential threats," Capt. Karrey Sanders, commanding officer of Portland, said in the statement.

"With this new advanced capability, we are redefining war at sea for the Navy."

In 2017, CNN witnessed a live-fire exercise of a 30-kilowatt laser weapon aboard the amphibious transport ship USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf.

At the time, Lt. Cale Hughes, a laser weapons system officer, described how they work.

"It is throwing massive amounts of photons at an incoming object," Hughes said. "We don't worry about wind, we don't worry about range, we don't worry about anything else. We're able to engage the targets at the speed of light."

The Ponce was retired from service later that year.

MORE....

[House of Roberts]

1. Photon + Laser Phaser

Well, we have the two way wrist Tvs from Dick Tracy years ago, so I guess Star Trek phasers are just as likely.

[Budi]

3. Yup. 1st thing I thought of was Star Trek. They too have been around awhile!

Star Trek in the case of laser weapons, & The Jetsons for everything else, were by far, way ahead of their time.

👍

[Beakybird]

2. The science of bringing speed and efficiency to mass murder.

[Budi]

4. It's frightening, considering that if we have the technology, so do others.

...and Trump is commandor in chief & that adds another of layer of threat to the human race.

Ugh.

[Tercules]

6. Mass murder? This is for defense of our naval vessels, primarily against drone swarms.

[Beakybird]

7. That is good, until someone gets it and shoots a jet or a satellite out of the sky.

Or destroy a skyscraper.
The problem is that we have advanced science in the hands of governments who are headed by sociopaths.

[Marie Marie]

5. Yikes! How long before Trumpie wants to play with his new toy?

Beware Canada!

[Efilroft Sul]

12. Remember Brad Parscale calling the Trump campaign the Death Star?

Alderaan was a peaceful planet, too.

[Marcuse]

8. Russian spies stole the A bomb from the Manhattan Project. They have it much easier these days.

[DFW]

9. Somali pirates might not be too happy about this development.

Hopefully, these things are too expensive, too complicated and too heavy to mount aboard their pirate skiffs.

[jmg257]

10. Cool- interesting technology. Nt

[lame54]

11. They couldn't wait till Trump was gone to reveal it?

[Baclava]

13. Now we need to install them on our Space Force battle drones, to zap asteroids and aliens!

[Disaffected]

14. USS Ponce??

No wonder they retired her (him?).

[Budi]

15. IKR!!