Lockheed Martin delivers record 300-kW laser weapon to US military

[Drumboy44]

Lockheed Martin has delivered its most powerful laser to date to the US military's Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering OUSD (R&E) ahead of schedule for installation in new laser weapon demonstrators designed to engage a variety of targets.

As the 2020s proceed, laser weapons are rapidly evolving from a promising concept to practical battlefield weapons. However, this isn't a simple linear progression. Laser weapons are extremely complex systems that are often sent back to square one when some concept in the design proves to be no longer practical.

Each of these subsystems, which includes power units, laser generators, beam combiners, focusing units, targeting systems, and many others must all move forward and properly integrate in a form that is not only functional, but robust and reliable enough to be a practical weapon at sea, on land, in the air, and in space.

Lockheed Martin delivers record 300-kW laser weapon to US military

Lockheed Martin has delivered its most powerful laser to date to the US military's Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering OUSD (R&E) ahead of schedule for installation in new laser weapon demonstrators designed to engage a variety of targets.

newatlas.com

 

[Friendly Engineer]

Lockheed Martin has delivered its most powerful laser to date to the US military's Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering OUSD (R&E) ahead of schedule for installation in new laser weapon demonstrators designed to engage a variety of targets.

As the 2020s proceed, laser weapons are rapidly evolving from a promising concept to practical battlefield weapons. However, this isn't a simple linear progression. Laser weapons are extremely complex systems that are often sent back to square one when some concept in the design proves to be no longer practical.

Each of these subsystems, which includes power units, laser generators, beam combiners, focusing units, targeting systems, and many others must all move forward and properly integrate in a form that is not only functional, but robust and reliable enough to be a practical weapon at sea, on land, in the air, and in space.

Lockheed Martin delivers record 300-kW laser weapon to US military

Lockheed Martin has delivered its most powerful laser to date to the US military's Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering OUSD (R&E) ahead of schedule for installation in new laser weapon demonstrators designed to engage a variety of targets.

newatlas.com

A new era of warfare.

 

[Dr Arthur]

Next will be particle beam/plasma weapons

 

[Garniv]

A new era of warfare.

Yeah, almost completely useless in fog, rain and snow

Next will be particle beam/plasma weapons

Any mention of successful plasma weapons prototype tests? As far as I know, plasma in science fiction and plasma in reality are completely different substances. In reality, it visibly burns up the installation with every "shot" and flies at most tens of meters https://www.military.com/video/off-duty/tech/new-progress-on-plasma-weapons/2324951333001

Particle beam - is just a laser weapon.

 

[Dr Arthur]

Yeah, almost completely useless in fog, rain and snow


Any mention of successful plasma weapons prototype tests? As far as I know, plasma in science fiction and plasma in reality are completely different substances. In reality, it visibly burns up the installation with every "shot" and flies at most tens of meters https://www.military.com/video/off-duty/tech/new-progress-on-plasma-weapons/2324951333001

Particle beam - is just a laser weapon.

Just referring to science fiction and star wars program concepts from as far ago as the period of President (Ray Gun) Reagen in the 1980s. Took this long just to get to laser weapons so how long til anything more is anyones guess as the physics and engineering challenges are formidable. My favourite thing with lasers is the duality where it can be either a particle or a wave but not both simultaneously with the act of observing inherently causing a change. (Heisenberg uncertainty principle)

 

[Garniv]

Just referring to science fiction and star wars program concepts from as far ago as the period of President (Ray Gun) Reagen in the 1980s. Took this long just to get to laser weapons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser#History - "On May 16, 1960, Theodore H. Maiman operated the first functioning laser at Hughes Research Laboratories, Malibu, California". And even then in 1960's the laser worked as well as today's lasers. Just the emitting units were more massive, with lower efficiency.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Laser_Ranging_experiment - "Successful lunar laser range measurements to the retroreflectors were first reported on Aug. 1, 1969 by the 3.1 m telescope at Lick Observatory".

My favourite thing with lasers is the duality where it can be either a particle or a wave but not both simultaneously with the act of observing inherently causing a change.

Double-slit experiment, yes. But it is not only a feature of photons (light, laser). Electrons show the same behavior, and atoms and molecules.

 

[Dr Arthur]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser#History - "On May 16, 1960, Theodore H. Maiman operated the first functioning laser at Hughes Research Laboratories, Malibu, California". And even then in 1960's the laser worked as well as today's lasers. Just the emitting units were more massive, with lower efficiency.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Laser_Ranging_experiment - "Successful lunar laser range measurements to the retroreflectors were first reported on Aug. 1, 1969 by the 3.1 m telescope at Lick Observatory".

Double-slit experiment, yes. But it is not only a feature of photons (light, laser). Electrons show the same behavior, and atoms and molecules.

Yes all matter has the duality it is just not observed at the macroscopic as opposed to microscopic level. As for lasers the first was a ruby laser and I must admit I had been playing around with lasers and masers since the 1970s. As for slit lamps the last time I used one was in the 1980s to build an interferometer to mesaure the velocity deviations in a Mössbauer Spectrometer Radiation Source that was linked to a multi channel spectral analyser.

 

[Irag8er]

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