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Combat Lasers To Be Added To US Fighter Jets (nextbigfuture.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the flight-sabers dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from NextBigFuture: The US Air Force plans to arm its fleet of drones and fighter jets with high-tech laser weapons.... Ground testing of a laser weapon called the High Energy Laser, or HEL, was slated to take place last year at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, service officials said...

The Air Force plans to begin firing laser weapons from larger platforms such as C-17s and C-130s until the technological miniaturization efforts can configure the weapon to fire from fighter jets such as an F-15, F-16 or F-35. Instead of flying with six or seven missiles on an aircraft, a directed energy weapons system could fire thousands of shots using a single gallon of jet fuel.

8 of 208 comments (clear)

  1. Also known as by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ground testing of a laser weapon called the High Energy Laser

    It will also be referred to by some as the High-Powered Laser, or "HP Laser" for short, and jets with this type of weapon mounted upon them shall be known as HP Laser Jets

    1. Re:Also known as by Owza · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Fire the laser!", Error - 'PC LOAD LETTER'

    2. Re:Also known as by Malenx · · Score: 5, Funny

      I really hope they don't shutoff all of the laser pods just because the magenta laser is low on fuel.

    3. Re:Also known as by halivar · · Score: 5, Funny

      PC LOAD LETTER? What the fuck does that mean?

    4. Re:Also known as by Nidi62 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I really hope they don't shutoff all of the laser pods just because the magenta laser is low on fuel.

      And in a boon to defense manufacturers, it will actually be cheaper to purchase a whole new airframe than it will be to refill the laser cartridges.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
  2. Re:Pew Pew Pew by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Not only that, but this is immensely useful in annoying enemy cats

  3. Re:But... by plover · · Score: 4, Funny

    About the same time they fill a house with popcorn and figure out how to use the laser to pop it all.

    --
    John
  4. Re: And this isn't going to render random ... by Coisiche · · Score: 3, Funny

    However, if it's a side affect of killing them, then that's actually okay.

    I think loss of vision is a side effect of being killed in 100% of fatalities.