Watch a Lockheed Martin Laser Destroy a Missile In Flight

An anonymous reader writes "As well as providing the equipment necessary to fire missiles, defense contractors also want to offer customers the ability to defend against them. Lockheed Martin is doing just that with its Area Defense Anti-Munitions (ADAM) system. ADAM is a high energy laser system mounted on a trailer allowing it to be transported around quickly to help defend high-value targets. It is still in prototype form, but basically uses a 10-kilowatt fiber laser which can be focused on to a moving target up to 2 kilometers away."

Comments

2 kilometers isn't very far away.

[Picass0]

Considering this a defensive system 2 kilometers means the high velocity threat is nearly on top of what you want to protect. It's 'destruction' is still likely to rain down debris nearby.

Re:2 kilometers isn't very far away.

[CrimsonKnight13]

Since it's a prototype, I'm sure progress will need to be made to extend the range & power of the laser. Otherwise, it'll only be a short-range solution.

Re:2 kilometers isn't very far away.

[tsadi]

The 2km limit is likely due to the heat lost due to the atmosphere.

Re:2 kilometers isn't very far away.

[gl4ss]

Considering this a defensive system 2 kilometers means the high velocity threat is nearly on top of what you want to protect. It's 'destruction' is still likely to rain down debris nearby.

well.. most missiles aren't kinetic energy weapons.. few broken windows isn't as bad as a warhead exploding inside your building.

Re:2 kilometers isn't very far away.

[gstoddart]

Which would you prefer? Debris or an explosion?

Depends, how big is the debris and what's it made of, and how far away is the explosion?

Big giants chunks of debris would be no fun, nor would it be if the missile had radioactive material and destroying it turned it into a dirty bomb.

I'm more curious to know how much of this test was 'real', and how much relied on some of the tricks they've done in the past by essentially making it impossible for it to miss.

It's not like they haven't stacked these tests in their favor in the past to the point that you'd need whoever might be shooting at you to schedule an appointment and tell you exactly where the missile is coming from. Which kind of defeats the purpose.

Re:2 kilometers isn't very far away.

[cfalcon]

"Big giants chunks of debris would be no fun, nor would it be if the missile had radioactive material and destroying it turned it into a dirty bomb."

No, that would be the BEST CASE scenario.

If the missile has radioactive material then:

1)- It is already a dirty bomb. Destroying it minimizes the damage.
2)- IT IS A NUKE. Destroying it saves likely a city.

Neither of these are likely, but you'd rather 1000 dirty bombs than one fissile warhead.

Hmm... I have a question.

[Antony T Curtis]

How long before we start seeing missiles with highly polished chrome finish on the outside?

Act Now, Supplies Are Limited

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

>> As well as providing the equipment necessary to fire missiles, defense contractors also want to offer customers the ability to defend against them.

Naturally. How else would you extract top dollar from both sides?

Re:Cool

[RobertNotBob]

Sure... but that was implicitly addressed when they discussed the cost of REPEATED use. So this is a Pay (a lot) ONCE, vs a missile (or other ammunition based) system which is Pay (less, but still serious coin) EVERY time you shoot.

It's not so bad when you put it into context.

Re:Just a few seconds to react

[Overzeetop]

A target tracking system for an incoming missile will have a much lower slew rate than the video, where the target is flying perpendicular to the beam. Unless the missile starts doing the Harlem Shake on the way in, it's a sitting duck for a laser adjacent to the target. Also note that the internal tracking system is good to 5km out, so that gives it 10 seconds to lock onto the final trajectory, and it can be tied into a larger tracking system as well.

This is clearly limited to smaller, slower, less sophisticated munitions right now, but I would anticipate larger power as they get better, which means effectiveness further out and quicker kills. Heck, you don't need any laser research to quadruple the power of this laser - just bring in four of them and target the same incoming vehicle.