Article

2008-07-24 Science & Technology

Bring on the death rays! Laser Truck Inches Closer to Iraq Battlefield

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Posted by Mike 2008-07-24 13:47|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top

#1 More, Faster please.

Posted by OldSpook 2008-07-24 13:56|| 2008-07-24 13:56|| Front Page Top

#2 And when will the first one arrive in Sderot?

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-07-24 14:00|| 2008-07-24 14:00|| Front Page Top

#3 It's about frikken time!!

Posted by Dr. Evil 2008-07-24 14:03|| 2008-07-24 14:03|| Front Page Top

#4 It's about time, I wonder how many rounds it can handle at once? Now all they need is a targeting system that computes the parabolic trajectory of the round and automatically dispatches return fire to within a few feet of the origin.

Posted by bigjim-ky 2008-07-24 14:23|| 2008-07-24 14:23|| Front Page Top

#5 They are probably using pulsed solid-state lasers which have a very rapid turn around. A bunch of lasers that fire in order through lenses, Gatling gun style, giving the others time to cool down.

Interestingly, this use of laser goes against the rule for lasers. That is, usually you want a narrow beam, but in this case, you want a wide beam.

If you were using a narrow beam, it could take as much as 100kW of energy to burn into a flying 60mm mortar round. However, if instead you use a wide beam to *heat* the round, you only need about 20kW to heat it up so much it bursts.

Importantly, it will do so at 500 meters.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-07-24 16:44|| 2008-07-24 16:44|| Front Page Top

#6 bj-k, they've had counterbattery radar for decades. I suspect that the launch sites are in inhabited areas and the return fire is not so accurate you can guarantee no innocents will be killed (no eyes on the ground for smart munitions). The launch teams bail before troops or drones can get "eyes on" (they hope).

Posted by tipover 2008-07-24 19:01|| 2008-07-24 19:01|| Front Page Top

#7 Moose, since the photo shows the system fits on one truck, it sounds like a laser diode pumped Nd:YAG disk laser. The semiconductor laser diodes are all switched on at the same time to get maximum power per volume. Add a large bank of NiMH or high power Lithium batteries and the system won't even have to run it's generators most of the time.

Posted by ed 2008-07-24 21:22|| 2008-07-24 21:22|| Front Page Top

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