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Aerial laser gunboat 'burns hole in fender' of moving car
The Register ^ | 10/14/09 | Lewis Page

Posted on 10/14/2009 6:21:45 PM PDT by Nachum

The Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) ray-cannon, mounted in a specially-equipped Hercules transport plane flying above New Mexico, has now succeeded in "putting a hole in the fender" of a ground vehicle driving along beneath it.

The not particularly awesome result was announced by Boeing, maker of the ATL, yesterday.

"In this test, a directed energy weapon successfully demonstrated direct attack on a moving target," said Gary Fitzmire, Boeing raygun veep. Though that is nothing new; Boeing's Humvee-mounted "Laser Avenger" ray-turret shot down a small flying robot earlier this year

(Excerpt) Read more at theregister.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aerial; burns; gunboat; laser
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Video at link
1 posted on 10/14/2009 6:21:45 PM PDT by Nachum
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To: Nachum

I wonder how a vehicle covered by corner cubes would work out.


2 posted on 10/14/2009 6:23:04 PM PDT by Paladin2 (Big Ears + Big Spending --> BigEarMarx, the man behind TOTUS)
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To: Nachum

Is this real?

The whole comment about World’s evil shark-owning billionaires unimpressed, gives me pause...


3 posted on 10/14/2009 6:24:08 PM PDT by The Magical Mischief Tour
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To: Paladin2

Or mirrors.


4 posted on 10/14/2009 6:27:02 PM PDT by Royal Wulff
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To: Nachum

The not particularly awesome result was announced by Boeing, maker of the ATL, yesterday.


Kinda sums it up, don’t it? Bullets would be a lot cheaper. Just because you can do something technically, doesn’t mean it makes sense.


5 posted on 10/14/2009 6:27:27 PM PDT by rbg81 (DRAIN THE SWAMP!!)
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To: Nachum

Not impressive? Place the laser so as to pierce the gas tank and watch what happens.


6 posted on 10/14/2009 6:30:20 PM PDT by ez ("Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is." - Milton)
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To: Royal Wulff
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corner_cube

"In optics, corner reflectors typically consist of three mirrors or reflective prisms which return an incident light beam in the opposite direction. In surveying, such prisms are commonly used as targets for long-range electronic distance measurement using a total station."

7 posted on 10/14/2009 6:30:38 PM PDT by Paladin2 (Big Ears + Big Spending --> BigEarMarx, the man behind TOTUS)
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To: Nachum
Aerial laser gunboat 'burns hole in fender' of moving car

Devestating to the enemy when used in combat. Consider the financial ruin of your opponent, having to repair fenders and get paint jobs. If they have MAACO, they may be able to recover to fight another day.

8 posted on 10/14/2009 6:31:07 PM PDT by C210N (A patriot for a Conservative Renaissance!)
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To: Nachum

Twenty years and how many millions, one hole in one fender. Wonderful. SAC off.


9 posted on 10/14/2009 6:31:46 PM PDT by org.whodat (Vote: Chuck De Vore in 2012.)
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To: rbg81
Kinda sums it up, don’t it? Bullets would be a lot cheaper. Just because you can do something technically, doesn’t mean it makes sense

Probably what was said after someone demonstrated black powder, cloth and gravel poured down a piece of pipe and touched off with a fuze.

10 posted on 10/14/2009 6:32:26 PM PDT by fso301
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To: Nachum

Will the laser work if the target has a mirror finish?

Just asking.


11 posted on 10/14/2009 6:35:17 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (Conservatives THINK people are smart. Liberals KNOW people are stupid.)
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To: org.whodat

clinton would sell it to saten for some re election cash, Lets see who zer0 gives it to so that nations are equal


12 posted on 10/14/2009 6:35:28 PM PDT by reefdiver (So how's that HOPE & CHANGE working out for ya ?)
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To: Nachum

13 posted on 10/14/2009 6:36:18 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: C210N
Just think how much their car insurance rates will go up.
14 posted on 10/14/2009 6:36:46 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (Conservatives THINK people are smart. Liberals KNOW people are stupid.)
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To: rbg81
Kinda sums it up, don’t it? Bullets would be a lot cheaper. Just because you can do something technically, doesn’t mean it makes sense.

lasers have a greater range than bullets.
I can see where somebody might want to have the capability of precisely putting a hole in a fender from a sniper satellite somewhere 200~300 miles high up in overhead orbit (or however high they place those things)

15 posted on 10/14/2009 6:40:44 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: C210N
"Devestating to the enemy when used in combat. Consider the financial ruin of your opponent, having to repair fenders and get paint jobs. If they have MAACO, they may be able to recover to fight another day. "

Yeah....and they can write rude taunting messages on their equipment....

Your mother wears army boots...

Follow me to the goat farm...

12th Mehedi inside....

16 posted on 10/14/2009 6:41:56 PM PDT by spokeshave (Obama can't unjump the shark "Obama Wa Nobel-sho Ni Ataeshinai" ("Obama Unworthy of Nobel Prize"))
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To: reefdiver
LOL, much cheaper to buy a drill on ebay.
17 posted on 10/14/2009 6:42:05 PM PDT by org.whodat (Vote: Chuck De Vore in 2012.)
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To: Nachum

Look out, bumperstickers!!


18 posted on 10/14/2009 6:46:37 PM PDT by coloradan (The US has become a banana republic, except without the bananas - or the republic.)
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To: Nachum

Sarcasm ON

For sale: Brand New Boeing Laser
Spent many millions (possibly billions, I didn’t do military service) developing this weapon to equip US troops with the best weapons. Will only sell to enemies of the United States and those that demean her.

Contact: Barry O (aka President Carter the Worse)
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC

Sarcasm OFF


19 posted on 10/14/2009 6:48:02 PM PDT by UAConservative (1,193 Days until Change I Can Really Believe In--January 20, 2013)
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To: rbg81

>Just because you can do something technically, doesn’t mean it makes sense.

Like using C/C++ to program your system in instead of something that Range-checks array access (ie buffer overwrites)... hm?


20 posted on 10/14/2009 6:48:51 PM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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