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

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.

Comments

Re:Not as exciting as it sounds

[Anonymous Coward]

Even worse. It isn't a laser at all. It is tracking device that could be used for a laser.

Re:Not as exciting as it sounds

[Tx]

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.