Navy Has Breakthrough in Laser Tech
January 21st, 2011
Sharks with friggin’ laser beams it ain’t, but the Navy is proudly boasting that its laser program for a laser defense system mounted on it ships is ahead of schedule. The Navy is hard at work on its shipboard laser system that will be used for several things including the ability to swat enemy missiles out of the sky before they can strike.
The threshold for a laser weapon that is good for defense is 100 kilowatts of power. The prototype laser that the Navy has been working with had only 14 kilowatts of power. The Navy has announced that it has been testing a new injector that has greatly increased the power of the laser and brought the Free Electron Laser up to the megawatt class.
The Navy also points out that the laser could be used for more than shooting down missiles. It could also be used to guide other weapons and more. The cool part about a laser is that it never needs bullets and the beam travels at the speed of light.
[via Wired]
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Categories: Future Tech Technology Weird Science
I love how I got an ad for a laser-pointer-pen below the article… But yeah, it’s like the future! One step closer to a real Star-Destroyer.
WOW! I honestly never thought we’d actually be able to create a weapons-grade laser! This is too cool! So…thinking…if we were able to release the laser beam in pulses, does that mean that the Star Wars blaster is here? W00t! Dibs!