The LADS system will utilise the phalanx system and literally shoot
incoming missiles and mortars out of the sky using a laser beam
Posted on 07/14/2008 7:52:17 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Star Wars-style technology is about to take to the battlefield for the first time with the launch of a laser system to shoot down enemy missiles and mortars.
Laser beam technology is being rushed into service to combat the threat of insurgent missiles and mortars raining down on British and American military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The LADS system will utilise the phalanx system and literally shoot
incoming missiles and mortars out of the sky using a laser beam
After decades of delay and billions of pounds spent, it will be simple commercial lasers rather than the hugely expensive US Department of Defence technology that could be used to save hundreds of troops' lives.
In just 18 months the American defence firm Raytheon has turned a laser used in the car manufacturing industry into a weapon that can hit incoming rounds at the speed of light, melting the outer casing and detonating the explosive inside.
A laser has already been used in a test to destroy a 60mm mortar round and in September the company plans its first "shoot down" of a shell in flight in a test to be conducted with the US military. If successful it could be used on battlefields as early as next year.
The Ministry of Defence is also already in discussions with the company for the new weapon that will be mounted alongside the current Phalanx Gatling gun system that uses thousands of 20mm bullets to shoot down missiles physically.
During one attack when The Daily Telegraph was present at Basra airbase in February two out of four 107mm rockets hurtling towards the accommodation area were shot down. But one of the two that penetrated the defences landed on a shower block killing a RAF serviceman.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
If they work with a Mac I’ll take two.
Finally :) If they can perfect it this is awesome - no more fear of being in camp and no more massive fallout from the phalanx insanity.
Test them is Israel. Rockets come in every day, thousands of chances to perfect this system.
I thought Israel already had some very highly functioning laser armaments already. From what I understand, the biggest problem is when they are overwhelmed by katyusha barrages. I understand that it is hard to handle more than a few targets per minute.
Uh? The Telegraph ijits don't realize that the "US DoD" doesn't make anything...."hugely expensive DoD" technology is created by commercial engineering companies taking basic science and applying it to new requirements from DoD....just. like. they. did. here.
They do, whas it the ARROW system? I can’t remember the name either.
Israel is working on a high power solid state diode laser, too. Unlike the huge, expensive, and delicate chemical lasers, the solid state only needs a pulse of energy to work. It has already been successfully used to shoot down artillery shells, mortars and rockets.
Got a major snake problem, can I get one for the front yard?
Missles and mortars “raining down” on US and brit positions?
commercial lazers rather than big bad and ugly expensive US millitary ones?
tech that can save hundreds of soldiers lives being lost?
Where do they get this crap from?
Oh, the telegraph. That explains it. They are smoking dope and reading comic books again.
Snakes on planes, and now incoming snakes! There are posts on YouTube about modifying off-the-shelf lasers to make them powerful enough for your application. Shouldn't be too hard to create a bank of lasers to zap your snakes!
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