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2010-10-05 Science & Technology
US Navy To Field Rapid Fire Laser Cannons
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Posted by  Anonymoose 2010-10-05 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11134 views ]  Top

#1 Confirms last week's statement by a Rantberger that the Iranian flying boats are skeet.
Posted by HammerHead 2010-10-05 09:19||   2010-10-05 09:19|| Front Page Top

#2 I can't help it, Star Wars Laser Cannons flash through my mind.
Especially the shot of the star cruisers under attack by swarms if flying small spaceships.

Deja Vu all over again.(Thanks Durante)
Posted by Redneck Jim 2010-10-05 09:26||   2010-10-05 09:26|| Front Page Top

#3 According to Northrop, the MLD "burned through small boat sections" in tests conducted last month at the Potomac River Test Range, indicating that its performance over water is up to the job.

Even in fog?
Posted by Nimble Spemble 2010-10-05 10:32||   2010-10-05 10:32|| Front Page Top

#4 burned through small boat sections

So everything will OK as long as the Iranians only send wooden boats.
Posted by phil_b 2010-10-05 10:52||   2010-10-05 10:52|| Front Page Top

#5 Skynet is complete.
Posted by Beavis 2010-10-05 11:03||   2010-10-05 11:03|| Front Page Top

#6 [obscure scifi reference]
"Skipper, the blasted thing's invisible!"
"Fire main batteries!"
[/obscure scifi reference]
Posted by AlmostAnonymous5839  2010-10-05 11:47||   2010-10-05 11:47|| Front Page Top

#7 Maybe this will also render China's "Carrier-killer" Sunburns useless
Posted by Yosemite Sam 2010-10-05 11:53||   2010-10-05 11:53|| Front Page Top

#8 AA: "Forbidden Planet", Leslie (Don't call me Shirley) Nielsen.
Posted by mojo  2010-10-05 12:11||   2010-10-05 12:11|| Front Page Top

#9 How do smoke screens and smoke generators factor into these equations?

I've seen videos of the CIWS in action. They take a long time and a lot of ammo to take out one single missile.

Better have at least two lasers. Better have them well protected because they're all you've got.

As for speedboats, who needs 100kw when 1kw is more than enough to blind the pilot?
Posted by gorb 2010-10-05 12:14||   2010-10-05 12:14|| Front Page Top

#10 These are electric powered rather than chem - faster, if you can draw on a warship's generators. You deploy up to 100KW to burn through fog etc. And the higher power means faster burnthrough in small boats closing in fast.
Posted by lotp 2010-10-05 12:38||   2010-10-05 12:38|| Front Page Top

#11 Must be radar-aimed, maybe with optical adjustments of some kind.

And Iran claims that their boats have a very small Radar Cross-Section. This must be why.

Hard to imagine them having a small RCS when they are powered by a propeller.
Posted by gorb 2010-10-05 13:57||   2010-10-05 13:57|| Front Page Top

#12 So everything will OK as long as the Iranians only send wooden boats.

Not really. Lasers will punch through anything, including metal or fiberglass. How else would the lasers work on missiles? Just need enough energy focused in one place.
Posted by DarthVader 2010-10-05 14:41||   2010-10-05 14:41|| Front Page Top

#13 How well does this do against boats mounting mirrors? Is a wrap of backing foil a decent protection?
Posted by Bulldog 2010-10-05 15:47||   2010-10-05 15:47|| Front Page Top

#14 Pulsed lasers don't care about mirrors, I understand.
Posted by gorb 2010-10-05 17:01||   2010-10-05 17:01|| Front Page Top

#15 Put a mist sprayer on a pole at the front of the boat and the laser is useless.
Posted by Bright Pebbles 2010-10-05 18:28||   2010-10-05 18:28|| Front Page Top

#16 Mirrors will work, but they will basically announce themselves to radar. Radar is designed to pick up scatter waves and mirrors would be like strapping 100ft neon red arrows to your boat.

Foil wouldn't protect much against lasers of that strength. Some, but not much.

Water mist at that strength would be worthless. Smoke would work, if it was thick enough, but at that point you can't see where you are going and it defeats the purpose of the swarm boats.

Remember the tactic of the swarm boats, 'burgers. A lot of boats for a small number of targets. If 300 boats swarmed a task force of 15 ships, and 100 of the boats have missiles, it really doesn't matter what the US does currently. Damage and casualties will be taken. While Iran will lose a lot of boats and men, if they take out a cruiser or aircraft carrier, then the propaganda alone is worth the expense. What do you think Bambi would do if the Iranians took out the USS Ronald Regan? (Not sink, but render inoperable) He would run faster than Bill did in Somalia and Iran would be the new Muslim power house in the region. With the RFLC, it reduces the chances of a American ship being taken out.
Posted by DarthVader 2010-10-05 20:55||   2010-10-05 20:55|| Front Page Top

#17 I was (proudly) the source of the "skeet" comment. If not R2D2, then laser. Only the best to send our Islamofascts to their burning painful deaths. We owe them that
Posted by Frank G 2010-10-05 21:59||   2010-10-05 21:59|| Front Page Top

00:05 JosephMendiola
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22:06 Old Patriot
22:00 Frank G
21:59 Frank G
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21:42 swksvolFF
21:40 Frank G
21:25 49 Pan
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21:09 Bright Pebbles
21:03 Bright Pebbles
20:59 Private Eye









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