US Navy Breaks Laser Record

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday February 19, 2011 @02:23AM from the it's-nice-to-see-val-kilmer-finding-work dept.

ectotherm writes "The US Navy has broken the existing record for the power of a laser. Their new free-electron laser can burn through 20 feet of steel per second. 'Next up for the tech: additional weaponization. The Navy just awarded Boeing a contract worth up to $163 million to take that technology and package it as a 100 kW weapons system, one that the Navy hopes to use not only to destroy things but for on-ship communications, tracking and detection, too — using a fraction of the energy such applications use now, plus with more accuracy.' Now all we need to do is upgrade the sharks..."

5 of 294 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

ouch by rodneylee · 2011-02-19 02:28 · Score: 0, Troll

Someone needs to take there toys away from them and stop the nonsensitive before they start testing it on us, which we all know they will, heck disband all military we really just need a small group to protect the environment and or a army that create Harmony between nations.
1. Re:ouch by burnin1965 · 2011-02-19 03:56 · Score: 0, Troll
  
  the humans of earth are a jealous lot, full of hate and mistrust, and belief that their way is the only way to live, and that all other ways must be eliminated
  Suddenly the foreign policy and economically destructive wars perpetuated by the United States make sense.
  Honestly I think the comment "we really just need a small group to protect the environment and or a army that create Harmony between nations" needs a hell of a lot more clarification but the truth is that the United States is not paying for a defensive military.
  And like previous nations the end result of feeding a perpetual offensive war state will eventually have a serious economic impact on the ordinary citizens who are simply trying to make a living to the point where not only are the wars unsustainable but the entire military, government and economic structure of the nation will crumble. See the history of France with their perpetual wars and borrowing of capital to fuel the American Revolution because "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" that resulted in the French Revolution and several people losing their heads.
  Our militarily enforced foreign policy is like nailing together a fine curio cabinet with 8 penny framing nails and a 20 pound sledge hammer. The end product is something nobody wants.
Re:20 feeet, not 200 by GNious · 2011-02-19 02:59 · Score: -1, Troll

Will be a while before the next Bush family member is put forward as candidate.
Re:TFA has no clue what it's talking about by jo_ham · 2011-02-19 03:26 · Score: -1, Troll

Remember, this is the news channel that doesn't understand how a pie chart works (or simply cannot add to 100).
http://ebroodle.typepad.com/ebroodle/2009/11/republican-pie-chart-fail.html
You expect them to understand anything more complex than an abacus?
Re:20 feeet, not 200 by burnin1965 · 2011-02-19 04:00 · Score: -1, Troll

And when it finally happens and they push the button they are going to be surprised to discover that the earth is not flat as their holy book suggests. So in a way religious ignorance may save the day.