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Royal Navy Deployed Laser Weapons During the Falklands War
Zothecula writes "Despite recent demonstrations by the US Navy, we still think of laser weapons as being things of the future. However, previously-classified British documents prove that not only were the major powers working on laser weapons in the 1970s and 80s, but that they were already being deployed with combat units in war zones. A letter from the Ministry of Defence released under the 30-year rule reveals that laser weapons were deployed on Royal Navy ships during the Falklands War in 1982, and that the British government was concerned about similar weapons being developed behind the Iron Curtain."
They were only strong enough to "dazzle" pilots, not do any actual damage.
"Despite recent demonstrations by the US Navy, we still think of laser weapons as being things of the future."
"We" who? Somebody who has been living in a box for the past seventy years?
It has already been known that laser weapons had been deployed since at least the mid 1980's.
Laser seems like a waste since there are some many drones with smart bombs these days.
There are hundreds of secret fancy projects to build deadly weapons and find creative ways to kill people while spending their tax money throughout History.
Why don't the various governments ever conspire to produce something for the greater good ?
Something like a 5'000 fucking billion USD research project for curing AIDS or cancer or even an efficient form of renewable energy instead of filling the banking system's gaping holes ?
Are there only evil sociopaths in charge ?
Why don't we just take the laser canons and stick them up their bottoms for utter prejudice inflicted to world's population ?
Considering it's 21st century, couldn't we just declare that from now on, every penny spent for such purposes equates a crime against humanity ?
Yeah, it was just designed to blind optical sensors (and eyeballs), but still: SOVIET LASER TANK.
... from my point of view....
Lisias@Earth.SolarSystem.OrionArm.MilkyWay.Local.Virgo.Universe.org
Can be ordered / viewed via the National Archive https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/prem-highlights-1983.htm, http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/s/res?_q=PREM%2019/972, http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=C13497591 & http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/aug/01/national-archives-cabinet-papers-1983 As for use of the lasers weapons, I can find no links but with suspicions of such weapons being deployed on the Kirov I expect it added another thing to be considered by the attacking airman.
What are we supposed to do with this lame, old information? It is no secret that lasers were already appearing in weaponry by then. Lasers were used by British commandos on the ground to designate targets for the free-fall bombs dropped by Vulcan bombers in Operation Black Buck.
I deny that I have not avoided attaining the opposite of that which I do not want.
If you played the 'Harpoon' paper and pencil naval wargame in the late 80s, early 90s - not the later computer game that was based on the board game - this system was available to British ships in the Falkland Island scenarios. Given that the rules for the game were based on openly published data, I don't see how this is really 'news' to anyone. A quick search shows that there are references to this system in other publications in the 90s as well. The game effect was to cause planes at low altitude to break off their attack. For planes at very low altitude, namely Argentine pilots trying to fly below the engagement altitude of British SAMs, there was a percentage chance the plane would crash into the water.
"The pity was that Plymouth had not had time to turn right around, because she was fitted with the new laser equipment known locally to us as "Flasher" - which could well have stopped the attack in its tracks, because it literally forces any incoming pilot to pull up sharply during the forty-second period in which he cannot see."
from One Hundred Days by Admiral Sandy Woodward (1992)
Stop worrying about the risks of nuclear power and start worrying about the risks of not using nuclear power.
Jasper Maskelyne (of the stage-magician family) did something similar with searchlights and mirrors during WWII (North African campaign, if I recall) - sending flashes of light into the sky to disorient (or "disorientate" as the Brits would say) German pilots. So it was hardly a new idea, just a different light source that's worse for the eyes.
Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
The have amitted to the lasers but are rhe sharks wearing them still classified?
OMG Ponies!!! with Glitter!!!! I miss Pink
Denmark has a pretty strong claim to Shetland.
Circa 1982 what they really meant was that they had covert plans to bedazzle Argentine pilots denim jackets, thus reducing combat efficiency as they marveled at their new designer clothes at retail prices.
The cockpit windscreens of aircraft with any kind of service under their belts are replete with micro-cracks even though the windscreens remain transparent to the naked eye. When you shine a laser on the windscreen, all the cracks 'light up' through internal scattering and reflection. The higher power the laser, the more dramatic the effect. For the pilot, the windscreen suddenly becomes a sparkling dazzle of bright pinpricks and lines of whatever colour of laser light is used. This dramatically obscures the pilots view of his/her surroundings which is a serious concern for a pilot flying at low level close to obstructions like say, the ocean and ships (for comparison, picture driving really fast down a two lane highway and someone threw a blanket across your windshield). The desired result is that the aircraft pull up and away hopefully breaking off an attack and also becoming a bit more visible to the ship's radar (ie. out of sea clutter) and hence an easier target.
So, to call these lasers 'weapons' is a stretch. They were an active, short-range, countermeasure, analogous to radio jamming, and didn't damage eyesight, burn skin, melt metal, etc.
"Consensus" in science is _always_ a political construct.
When the Brits landed @ St Carlos Water, they immediately deployed their Rapier anti-aircraft missiles as a perimeter to defend their landing area, & thought they were well defended as the missiles had a good track record, & were a pretty good defence.
Sure enough, shortly, the Argie Skyhawks tooled over @ low level & started their bombruns on the ships at anchor. The AA officer hit the tit on the Rapier control panel, &, promptly the main fuse blew. The Argies had a nice safe, (except for the fact that every gun that could was firing at them), run @ the stationary ships, who were not best pleased by this.
Nobody had ever fired all the Rapiers at once, as the cost was deemed too much for an exercise. Needless to say, the fuse was shorted PDQ, & the missiles at least made the Argies take Plan B sooner, rather than later.
I heard from my boss that all his class 4 lasers had been requisitioned. He knew they had been at sea when a technician found seaweed inside one...
I think I read about it somewhere before the Gulf War
So when that guy was arrested for pointing a laser pointer at an aircraft which "totally blinded them for many minutes", it was just a cover for testing out a new form of this weapon?
Everyone here was vigorously defending him saying that it takes very sophisticated equipment to track an aircraft with a laser and hold it there.
So clearly they fired this weapon against a normal civilian aircraft and when it worked so well they decided to jail a scape-goat so no one knew it was a government test?
Seems like it to me. We all knew that laser story was fishy years and years ago when it happened.
Denmark is welcome to join the union. I like Danish people.
I was more saying that, since the waters around Shetland happen to be rich in oil, it's conceivable that Denmark might want Shetland back.
Most people were keeping score as though it were a game of cricket, or recalling the Battle of Britain ratios of aircraft shot down.
We were pissed at the diplomatic foolishness that had started the "war", but once the war was on most people would have been quite happy if we'd raided Buenos Aires in reprisal
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