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Many Lasers Become One In Lockheed Martin's 30 kW Laser Weapon

Posted by Unknown on from the ready-main-phaser-array dept.

Zothecula writes "In another step forward for laser weapons that brings to mind the Death Star's superlaser, Lockheed Martin has demonstrated a 30-kilowatt fiber laser produced by combining many lasers into a single beam of light. According to the company, this is the highest power laser yet that was still able to maintain beam quality and electrical efficiency, paving the way for a laser weapon system suitable, if not for a Death Star, for a wide range of air, land, and sea military platforms."

3 of 202 comments (clear)

  1. Please place all shark jokes in this thread. by SuricouRaven · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Lets keep them in one place, nice and tidy.

    1. Re:Please place all shark jokes in this thread. by Trogre · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Combing many lasers into one?

      This isn't sharks, this is a DEATH STAR.

      --
      "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  2. Re:Newtonian physics and ballistics don't apply! by Sockatume · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So your example of a nice, predictable weapon is a stream of bullets subject to gravity and wind, or a self-guided package of explosives, while your idea of unpredictability is a collimated beam of photons.

    Sweet deus.

    --
    No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?