Navy Planning To Build Laser Cannon In Four Years

CowboyRobot writes "The US Navy is months away from requesting bids from contractors to construct a laser weapon for its ships, now that the technology is feasible. 'The key point came last April, when the Navy put a test laser firing a (relatively weak) 15-kilowatt beam aboard a decommissioned destroyer... the Martime Laser Demonstrator cut through choppy California waters, an overcast sky and salty sea air to burn through the outboard engine of a moving motorboat a mile away.'"

Comments

Hmm

[girlintraining]

So Navy's of tomorrow will have their ships covered in mirrors. Now, someone tell me why this won't work... because it seems like a really obvious way to divert a laser beam.

Re:Hmm

[busyqth]

That would be a devastating defense.
I'm sure the Navy will remember it next time they're up against a borg cube.

Re:Hmm

[DurnikBob]

Do you mean "your remaining eye"?

Re:I'm Confused....

[MightyYar]

Yup - the trick is just to design the laser so that the light slows down enough to get into a stable orbit... then you can just fire the laser and it will follow the contour of the earth. Things like mountains and hills can be overcome by firing it even more slowly in a ballistic trajectory.