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Anti-Missile Laser Weapon Successfully Tested

Posted by timothy on from the how-fair-was-the-test dept.

xPertCodert writes "A latest attempt to build a futuristic laser weapon appears to be a success. Joint Israeli-US developed laser destroyed a large caliber rocket in a latest New Mexico test. The press release also contains links to some interesting video and photo material, related to THEL (Tactical High Energy Lasers) defense systems."

4 of 636 comments (clear)

  1. videos by doormat · · Score: 5, Informative

    are here.

    WMP or QT are availabe.

    --
    The Doormat

    If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention.
  2. Re:Invisible beams? by mpoulton · · Score: 4, Informative

    A sufficiently powerful laser beam will ionize air due to the electric field strength within the beam. This can be achieved on a desktop scale with a small Q-switched YAG laser (I've done it). When the air ionizes, it begins to absorb the beam, which results in even more heating. You get what appears to be a spark floating in air. This is not wavelength dependent (except that field strength depends to some extent on wavelength), and is not related to the absorption of the beam by the gases in the air. In fact, at high enough intensities, the same effect occurs in a vacuum due to particle pair formation. Fun stuff.

    --
    I am a geek attorney, but not your geek attorney unless you've already retained me. This is not legal advice.
  3. It's a tactical weapon, not strategic. by UPAAntilles · · Score: 4, Informative

    The THEL was not developed with anti-nuclear capabilities in mind. It's designed to protect cities, troop movements, bases, etc from cruise missiles, artillery shells, and the like.

    Now, the Airborne Laser was developed as SDI, but it only covers an area of a 100 mile circle around which it's deployed. That's not going to generally help against a large country...but instead was designed for actions against megalomanical 3rd world dictatorships, like say, North Korea.

  4. Re:General question... by general_re · · Score: 4, Informative
    Newton Baker, US minister of defense (1921)

    One of those apparently sourceless quotes made all the more suspect by the attribution itself. The United States does not have a parliamentary system - the only "ministers" in the US are charged with church congregations. Second, the Department of Defense did not exist until 1947, and was not so named until 1949 - Newton D. Baker was Secretary of the War Department under Woodrow Wilson, from 1916 to 1921.

    Yeah, I know - offtopic. Whatever.

    --
    ABSURDITY, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.