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| Laser Cannon for the Engineers! |
| 2004-04-06 |
| ...From Jim Dunnigan and the good folks over at StrategyPage.com ... COMBAT SUPPORT: Laser Cannon for the Engineers April 5, 2004: The U.S. Army has built and tested a humvee equipped with a laser gun turret that can quickly destroy unexploded munitions and roadside bombs. The system, called Zeus-HLONS (HMMWV Laser Ordnance Neutralization System), uses an industrial solid state laser, normally used to cut metal, but can also ignite explosives up to 300 meters away. "...This Hummer is now the ultimate power in this sector of the galaxy..." Normally, engineers have to approach such munitions (shells, cluster bombs aircraft bombs) or roadside bombs, place explosives next to it, then move away, trailing a detonator wire behind them, and then set off the explosive to destroy the bomb or unexploded munitions. Using the Zeus laser is a lot cheaper (a few cents per laser shot) and safer than the traditional method. Zeus is particularly useful when you have an area with a lot of unexploded munitions just lying about. The munitions are often unstable, meaning that just picking them up could set them off. The Zeus system can be fired up to 2,000 times a day. Last year, a Zeus-HLONS was sent to Afghanistan for six months last year, where it destroyed 200 items, including 51 in one 100 minute period. "...Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've spawned..." However, Zeus is currently stuck in development because no one in the army wants to "own" it and pay for manufacturing it. While destroying unexploded munitions is an engineering task, Zeus-HLONS was developed by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. Development is continuing, including the use of a more powerful laser. One thing the engineers would like to see is some way for Zeus to destroy buried munitions and land mines. But the laser cannot penetrate earth very effectively. As things stand now, Zeus-HLONS will remain on the sidelines until someone decides it?s important enough to spend money on and adopt as another item of equipment. ...All together now : "TAKE THAT, JIHADI SCUM!!!" Mike |
| Posted by:Mike Kozlowski |
| #17 Here's a shot of the prototype in action. |
| Posted by: A Jackson 2004-04-06 7:44:56 PM |
| #16 Sounds like cujo got the scoop on this one. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-04-06 3:54:11 PM |
| #15 Zeus needs a couple of PHD physicists in the field to support it. The system is NOT ready for prime time. And yes, it is ineffective against ordnance that is not exposed. The EOD folks are already pursuing an alternative using a remote platform with a standard rifle mounted upon it (Barret .50 or M-14/DMR, AR-10T). The process is called Standoff Munitions Disruption (SMUD). It is traditionally done by the EOD technician firing the weapon from the shoulder. The remote platform enables the operator to have greater standoff distance (greater safety), higher op tempo and gives all operators the ability to have expert marksman accuracy. SMUD is effective for both UXO and for mines. The remote platform the EOD team is pursuing is also about 1/20th of the price of Zeuss and is easy to support in the field. They don't call me remote man for nothing you know. |
| Posted by: remote man 2004-04-06 1:16:33 PM |
| #14 Can this task not also be done with a .50 cal round or 300 Win Mag round from a sniper rifle? |
| Posted by: Anony-mouse 2004-04-06 12:38:08 PM |
| #13 Destroying unexploded ordance and IEDs at a distance.Using off-the shelf hardware. So what 4 eyed bean counter shot this down? Probably not the bean counters at all. Probably the tactical folks who realize that this has only limited use in its current configuration or in any likely configuration proposed right now. When the costs, not only of manufacturing it, but also of deploying it (manpower, training etc.) are justified by improved capabilities it may well attract a consituency. Afghanistan isn't Iraq. Sounds to me from this story as if this is great for sweeping open roadsides, but until it can deal with buried mines and IEDs its value is very limited. |
| Posted by: rkb 2004-04-06 12:09:27 PM |
| #12 Zeus was designed mainly for cleaning up *OUR* unexploded ordinance. Not for defusing enemy bombs though it can do that also. Think cluster bombs covering an area where some of them won't detonate. It was mostly developed on non-govt money. One of the nice things about it is that the explosion of the ordinance is less than you would get if the thing blew up on it's own or was destroyed the conventional way by using another explosive device. It really couldn't be used as a weapon unless you could get the target to stand still for a real long time :-) |
| Posted by: CujoQuarrel 2004-04-06 12:06:59 PM |
| #11 Damn! I looked in the ACME Catalog and they don't have a 300m featherduster. Shit! Now what? Mebbe drop one of these on it from a Loach? |
| Posted by: .com 2004-04-06 10:30:05 AM |
| #10 Please excuse the skeptical technology- and computer-buff here, but it seems like throwing a layer of dirt on top of your IED is an easy way to defeat the laser. It doesn't solve the problem of identifying the IED in the first place, especially if hidden under dirt, debris, an animal carcass, or a vehicle. Somebody still needs to spot the device with the Mark I Eyeball or other means, then perhaps you could burn away the surrounding material with the laser--unless it's dirt, which means somebody has to go dust the IED off first. Is 300m really far enough away to detonate something like a 105mm artillery round safely--or any sizable amount of unexploded ordnance? |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-04-06 10:24:58 AM |
| #9 I'm checking my atlas. With any luck, Alderaan is a suburb of Tehran. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-04-06 10:24:19 AM |
| #8 Are they ill-tempered? |
| Posted by: Dr. Evil 2004-04-06 10:06:57 AM |
| #7  You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads! Now evidently my cycloptic colleague informs me that that cannot be done. Ah, would you remind me what I pay you people for, honestly? Throw me a bone here! Dear Doctor Evil, You're darn right. And I happen to have a couple of mutant sea bass with lasers on their heads. Is that good enough, high one? |
| Posted by: Anonymous4034 2004-04-06 10:00:22 AM |
| #6 You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads! Now evidently my cycloptic colleague informs me that that cannot be done. Ah, would you remind me what I pay you people for, honestly? Throw me a bone here! |
| Posted by: Dr. Evil 2004-04-06 9:57:58 AM |
| #5 One more thing you just know some imaginative tropper will think-up some other use for this.Like flash frying a RPG gunner, |
| Posted by: Raptor 2004-04-06 9:55:55 AM |
| #4 It's the Death Star! BAM! Take that, Alderaan! |
| Posted by: Jedistarfighter50 2004-04-06 9:53:36 AM |
| #3 Destroying unexploded ordance and IEDs at a distance.Using off-the shelf hardware. So what 4 eyed bean counter shot this down? |
| Posted by: Raptor 2004-04-06 9:35:52 AM |
| #2 Okay, I asked for an MLRS last Christmas but I'm told that it was an exceptionally difficult gift to find..... I've changed my mind... just the lazer don't need the Hummer already got a C-20. BTW my birthsdays on the 15th. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-04-06 8:29:01 AM |
| #1 Zionist Death Ray, Version 3.0. (Prior versions here and here.) |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-04-06 7:26:32 AM |
