High-Energy Laser Effector Tested On German Warship (upi.com)

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High-Energy Laser Effector Tested On German Warship (upi.com)

Posted by BeauHD on Sunday February 21, 2016 @01:17AM from the show-of-force dept.

Rheinmetall and the German armed forces have completed a recent test of their high-energy laser effector on a German warship. During the test, a 10-kilowatt high-energy laser, or HEL, was mounted on a MLG 27 light naval gun. The HEL was then used to track potential targets, which included unmanned aerial vehicles and stationary land targets. The test marked the first demonstration of the HEL on a naval platform, which Rheinmetall says revealed insights for developing future maritime HEL effectors.

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Not as exciting as it sounds by wonkey_monkey · 2016-02-21 01:26 · Score: 3, Insightful

High-Energy Laser Effector Tested On German Warship
That is to say, it was on a German warship when it was tested. They didn't melt a German warship with a laser, which would have been way cooler.
I don't know if they even melted anything. All it says is that they tracked stuff with it.
And what's the difference between a laser and a laser effector?

--
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
1. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 01:51 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Even worse. It isn't a laser at all. It is tracking device that could be used for a laser.
2. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Tx · 2016-02-21 02:32 · Score: 2
  
  And what's the difference between a laser and a laser effector?
  I was wondering this myself. I can't immediately find a definition of the term, but it seems to be common parlance in defence circles. I would guess that it is used to differentiate laser weapons from lasers used for targeting etc, a laser effector being one that "has an effect" on the target, beyond simply illuminating it. But I could be wrong.
  
  --
  Oh no... it's the future.
3. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 02:45 · Score: 0
  
  Effectors are very powerful long range electromagnetic devices. I've read of cases where a single higher technology ship employing an effector has been able to effectively disable, interfere with, or destroy many lower tech ships. The only defense the lower tech ship has against effectorization is typically shutting down affected portions of the ship.
  Effectors may also be used to kill biological life and melt equipment. Used at much lower power, an effector can be used to create a communications channel between two ships.
4. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Tx · 2016-02-21 02:49 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  It's not just a tracking device; it appears that it was only used to track the targets in this instance, but that doesn't mean that that's all it can do. Have a look at this page on the Rheinmetall HEL systems; these are definitely weapons. A 10kW system isn't covered there, but there is a 5kW system;
  In the 5kW laser category, the M113 Mobile HEL Effector Track V demonstrated its operational potential for disposing of unexploded ordnance and clearing battlefield obstacles. Without having to exit the vehicle’s protected fighting compartment, the crew detected mines and improvised explosive devices, irradiating them with the laser from a safe distance, which caused them to deflagrate in a matter of seconds. Afterwards the laser weapon successfully cleared a barbed wire obstacle at a distance of approximately 70 metres.
  So there's no way you need a 10kW for tracking; anything far enough away that you need a 10kW laser to track it would be way out of range of your guns. 10kW should be good for taking out UAVs etc, the kind of targets TFA says it was tracking during this test.
  
  --
  Oh no... it's the future.
5. Re: Not as exciting as it sounds by O('_')O_Bush · 2016-02-21 02:58 · Score: 1
  
  And it certainly isn't novel or newsworthy. Many countries have been developing HEL weapons for decades.
  
  The "first" was a country taking the system off its testbed and calling newspapers to show it off.
  
  --
  while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
6. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 03:04 · Score: 0
  
  Effectors are a "holy grail" technology, given what they are able to do. If you have effectors and whoever you are fighting doesn't, well - sucks to be them.
  It's one of those game changers in the sense of aircraft carriers making battleships suddenly obsolete.
7. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by allcoolnameswheretak · 2016-02-21 03:31 · Score: 1
  
  Who cares. It certainly looks like a badass laser cannon. 8)
8. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 03:37 · Score: 0
  
  Effectors are able to "melt things" as you say but they have many other uses, including being used at low power levels as a point to point jam-proof communications link.
9. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by currently_awake · 2016-02-21 03:50 · Score: 1
  
  They are using the laser instead of radar to track the target, the laser isn't strong enough to melt it.
10. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 04:04 · Score: 0
  
  The asymmetric approach would be the 'swarms' that the Iranians proposed using against US ships
  The questions is how many simultaneous targets the the ships in the superior positions can track and prioritize
  If one of the objects you fail to address is an anti-ship missile then you are boned no matter what your effectors are capable of
11. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 04:16 · Score: 1
  
  It also sounds overpowered for its intended purposes. Not that I know a significant amount about tracking objects at doezens of km.
  That being said, 1W of pulsed laser energy is sufficent to start ablating material at focus. So it could just easily be the writer misunderstanding the fundamentals of laser physics and that average power is not the same as peak power. 1uJ ns pulses @ 1Mhz != 1uJ/ns, 1W vs. 1kW.
12. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 04:29 · Score: 0
  
  effectorization
  O noble Latin, what have they done to you
13. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by BeauHD · 2016-02-21 04:30 · Score: 1
  
  The feeling is mutual... I had to re-read the article/title a couple times to get the facts straight.
  
  I'm expecting the Germans to follow-up with an actual test on a German warship in a time-lapse video -- it needs to happen.
14. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by frovingslosh · 2016-02-21 05:09 · Score: 1
  
  At least it was the peaceful and fun loving Germans who have it and not some trouble making nation.
  
  --
  I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
15. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by myowntrueself · 2016-02-21 06:48 · Score: 1
  
  So there's no way you need a 10kW for tracking; anything far enough away that you need a 10kW laser to track it would be way out of range of your guns.
  Railguns!
  
  --
  In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
16. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 07:39 · Score: 0
  
  it's just an effectation
17. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 09:03 · Score: 0
  
  Those shoot beyond the horizon, unless it's a robotic life form from outer space at the point of an Egyptian pyramid.
18. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Threni · 2016-02-21 09:22 · Score: 1
  
  > So there's no way you need a 10kW for tracking; anything far enough away that you need a 10kW laser to track
  > it would be way out of range of your guns.
  Tracking it to provide accurate location data to troops, drones, missiles, ships etc nearer it, or which may eventually be nearer to it?
19. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 09:28 · Score: 0
  
  These systems are almost all CW. You would have a lot of trouble ablating material very far away, even under ideal conditions, with 1 uJ pulses considering the limits on focus spot size for a reasonable source optics size. When actually intending to do damage, there are plenty of situations for flying targets where simply heating the target will cause problems, either with the payload, or due to stresses on the surface from flying fast. Thermal effects care more about average power. And besides, a 100kHz, 10 uJ pulsed laser source can be had of the shelf for about $10-20k, and be about the size of an external hard drive. Tracking with something like that is a lot simpler than something that has a high average power and takes up a lot more space.
20. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by angel'o'sphere · 2016-02-21 09:45 · Score: 1
  
  (facepalm) it i a 10kw laser ... did you actually even read the summary?
  
  --
  Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
21. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by rtb61 · 2016-02-21 11:37 · Score: 1
  
  Meh, who cares, the more modern your military becomes the more susceptible it becomes. So stuff like stealth has now become all fashioned because it can not actually hide anything more through the air fast because you can not hide that movement of air and changes in water vapour density. So the big switch from hiding to blinding takes place. How do you shut how high tech gear, the electro magnetic pulse. So get your fighter bomber, tweak the front turbine blades so as they spin they generate scads of electricity which you then pulse out. You can not both receive a signal and block emp at the same time. So your flight of bright light(blindingly bright light) fighter bombers flies shield (all receivers blocked and shut down) in emp and everyone else in the flight path is shut down. Mark 1 eyeball becomes the rule of the day. Even bigger problem down goes IFF https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... goes down, now good luck with that. So not only do you shut down anything not protected creating total chaos along the flight path, even protected devices will be prevented from running until you stop pulsing (they can still be destroyed by build up of static charge) and you can no longer tell friend from foe, they all become enemies. You of course have to be fully shielded, only receivers hard blocked from your own emp and fly by inertial guidance, in a somewhat more primitive non-fly by wire plane and use shielded weapons laser guided only bombs not missiles.
  The more modern, the more readily you can induce chaos by fucking with data flow and the more vulnerable they become. Honestly the way it is now, the US can only fight those who are largely unarmed and only for as long as the focus doesn't shifting to mass jamming technological devices through sustained electro magnetic pulses (not one but tens even hundreds of thousands emps over days and weeks or 'meh' until the war is over).
  The new winner is who forces the either side back to mark 1 eye ball with any weapon systems still left functional.
  
  --
  Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
22. Re: Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 12:02 · Score: 0
  
  It is not a new system for the Germans either, I am 99% certain that I saw the "laser" landing page about 5 years ago - the news here is that they have tested the tracking system on a warship.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUGpCUkFwYI
23. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 12:38 · Score: 0
  
  Huh?. All i can tell is that this looks like english.
24. Re: Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 16:05 · Score: 0
  
  Oh good it wasn't just me. I was thinking maybe I had a stroke while reading it.
25. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 16:51 · Score: 0
  
  Iran's "swarms" are not a threat to a US carrier group. Or do you think these "swarms" would surprise the Navy? Lets hope the Iranians don't delude themselves into launching a full scale attack against the US Navy because putting Iran's entire Navy on the bottom of the Gulf would create a navigation hazard and disrupt the shipping lanes. The Iranian military likes to beat their chest and make all kinds of grandiose statements but the truth is the US could destroy anything of worth in Iran if they were allowed to take the gloves off and untie the one behind their back. And if a carrier group was attacked and suffered damage the US has10 more carrier groups to take up any sack.
26. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-22 09:27 · Score: 0
  
  Why did you axe that?
27. Re:Not as exciting as it sounds by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-24 05:41 · Score: 0
  
  Awesome clarity, the title was misleading I think too.
lack of details by slashping · 2016-02-21 01:41 · Score: 1

Should we interpret the lack of details as a failure ?
1. Re:lack of details by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 01:57 · Score: 0
  
  Should we interpret the lack of details as a failure ?
  No, this is just /. it is usual editorial finest.
2. Re:lack of details by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2016-02-21 09:11 · Score: 1
  
  Se...the lack of details is an editorial failure?
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
Thank God... by Skiron · 2016-02-21 02:01 · Score: 1

.. it wasn't a British warship - I don't want to relive 1939 and all that again.
Effector by rossdee · 2016-02-21 02:18 · Score: 1

WTF is an effector?
I dont speak german
1. Re:Effector by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 02:27 · Score: 0
  
  WTF is an effector?
  Effectors
2. Re:Effector by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 02:41 · Score: 0
  
  Sounds like we'll all be speaking german soon
3. Re: Effector by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 03:07 · Score: 0
  
  Jawohl mein Herr
4. Re:Effector by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 03:22 · Score: 0
  
  You should be so lucky, senor.
5. Re:Effector by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 03:44 · Score: 0
  
  You know that's sci-fi, right?
6. Re:Effector by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 04:11 · Score: 0
  
  You say that like it's a bad thing.
7. Re: Effector by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 04:27 · Score: 0
  
  So were tiny cell phones.
8. Re:Effector by meerling · 2016-02-21 08:51 · Score: 1
  
  Somebody having fun with a thesaurus.
9. Re:Effector by Carewolf · 2016-02-21 11:47 · Score: 1
  
  WTF is an effector?
  I dont speak german
  Something causing an effect. I am guessing the "laser".
  Also, miltary speak for something cool and futuristic.
10. Re:Effector by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-22 02:03 · Score: 0
  
  It's Military Gibberish, which is similar to Business Gibberish, but most Business Schools do require students to pass Remedial English. The Military traditionally prefers their Battle Meat stupid and uneducated.
  There are such oddities in American such as CenComPac- "Central Command: Pacific", and MRE- "Meals Ready to Eat".
  "Effector" is not being used in an English sense here; the word is German Military Gibberish, and it stands for:
  "DAS LICHTNACHTENMASCHINE IST NICHT FÜR DER GEFINGERPOKEN UND MITTENGRABEN! DAS EFFECTOR IST TO SCHNAPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK, BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN MIT SPITZENSPARKEN."
  The traditional ISO Symbol, for use across languages, is a lightning bolt going through an exploding eyeball.
What'd the Germans do to piss off the sharks? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 02:31 · Score: 2, Funny

They must have done something to get one of their warships melted.
Unemployment rates by Livius · 2016-02-21 02:55 · Score: 1

Clearly this kind of technological advance end up taking frickin' laser jobs away from sharks.
Germans created hel a long time ago. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 03:03 · Score: 0

Just saying
effectors = element of surprise in battle by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 03:35 · Score: 0

In my reading about this it sounds like if a battle has two sides X and Y, and X has effectors and Y doesn't, it often leads to Y radically over-estimating its own ability to successfully prosecute the battle. Effectors are a kind of force multiplier: a smaller force equipped with effectors can overcome a larger one without. This can give a false sense to the side without them and they might chose to engage in a fight thinking they have the advantage, when in reality it is just the opposite.
Spoiler ahead by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 04:05 · Score: 0

HEL is EVIL MARIA!
1. Re:Spoiler ahead by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 04:21 · Score: 0
  
  I'm working on a plan to hook her up with C3PO.
  It could mellow out Hel, and C3PO might grow a backbone.
Circular Complete by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 04:59 · Score: 0

The summary is the article and the article is the summary. Apparently, you really are no longer required to RTFA.
Semantics by rainwalker · 2016-02-21 05:10 · Score: 1

It was tested while *mounted on* a German warship, not not tested *upon* a German ship. One of those readings is significantly less ominous!
1. Re:Semantics by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 08:38 · Score: 0
  
  It was tested while *mounted on* a German warship, not not tested *upon* a German ship. One of those readings is significantly less ominous!
  Yet people make fun of the German language???
No popcorn? by www.sorehands.com · 2016-02-21 05:15 · Score: 1

I was hoping to sit back and have German laser popped popcorn.

--
Fight Spammers!
Re:Not rolling as much as googleclippers think by Hognoxious · 2016-02-21 07:47 · Score: 1

They didn't melt a German warship with a laser, which would have been way cooler.
Oh come one, forgive and forget. It's been 70 years since Pearl Harbor.
I mean that's nearly as long ago as Bunker fucking Hill and Bannockburrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrn, and nobody at all ever goes on about those, do they?

--
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
What color was the laser? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 07:56 · Score: 0

Was it a Green High Energy Laser, or an RHEL?
German Warship fires High-Energy Laser by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 08:10 · Score: 1

Better headline: "German Warship fires High-Energy Laser"
1. Re:German Warship fires High-Energy Laser by Hognoxious · 2016-02-21 09:45 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Or if it was in The Sun: Hun boat shoots sun bolt.
  
  --
  Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
2. Re:German Warship fires High-Energy Laser by bittmann · 2016-02-22 03:27 · Score: 1
  
  Or The Reg: Kraut Craft Conveys Coherent Cannon
No video? Lame. by mfearby · 2016-02-21 09:11 · Score: 1

You can't post stories about "lasers" and NOT post a link to a video!!! There are none linked from the article itself, either. Tease!
Awesome new weapon for the Caliphate. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 11:00 · Score: 0

Can't wait for the German Caliphate to use this awesome weapon to help gang rape native Europeans.
1. Re:Awesome new weapon for the Caliphate. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 11:47 · Score: 0
  
  LOL! Hilarious!
2. Re:Awesome new weapon for the Caliphate. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 12:27 · Score: 0
  
  Get out of here haji.
3. Re:Awesome new weapon for the Caliphate. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-22 01:18 · Score: 0
  
  You're saying this laser is the Colognean Pussy Illuminator, used to target the neighboring cities from the Colonius for the glory of Allah?
laser effector by avgapon · 2016-02-21 11:28 · Score: 0

Is "laser effector" a term produced by the literal translation from German? What does it mean?
1. Re:laser effector by bentcd · 2016-02-21 20:49 · Score: 1
  
  Effector is military speak for weapon system. What they are saying here is that this is not just the standard sort of laser range finder or tracker that the military has been using for ages, but it's a weaponized laser system.
  
  --
  sigs are hazardous to your health
2. Re:laser effector by avgapon · 2016-02-22 02:03 · Score: 0
  
  Thank you!
Re: Not rolling as much as googleclippers think by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-21 16:11 · Score: 0

Ahh, that was the Japanese?
Nazi Death Rays!!! by Vinegar+Joe · 2016-02-21 20:41 · Score: 1

I've seen that movie...........

--
"The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old......They literally know nothing." - Ben Rhodes
Re: Not rolling as much as googleclippers think by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-22 01:43 · Score: 0

"Forget it, he's rolling."
Re: Not rolling as much as googleclippers think by Anonymous Coward · 2016-02-22 02:55 · Score: 0

WHOOOOOOOSH.