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| Science & Technology |
| Boeing Tests Entire Weapon System On Advanced Tactical Laser Aircraft |
| 2008-08-16 |
| Boeing has successfully completed the first ground test of the entire weapon system integrated aboard the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) aircraft, achieving a key milestone in the ATL Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program. During the test Aug. 7 at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., the ATL aircraft, a C-130H, fired its high-energy chemical laser through its beam control system. The beam control system acquired a ground target and guided the laser beam to the target, as directed by ATL's battle management system. The laser passes through a rotating turret on the aircraft's belly. "By firing the laser through the beam control system for the first time, the ATL team has begun to demonstrate the functionality of the entire weapon system integrated aboard the aircraft," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems. "This is a major step toward providing the ultra-precision engagement capability that the warfighter needs to dramatically reduce collateral damage." After conducting additional tests on the ground and in the air, the program will demonstrate ATL's military utility by firing the laser in-flight at mission-representative ground targets later this year. |
| Posted by:3dc |
| #15 Not in the eyes!!!!!!! Arggggg!!!!!! |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-08-16 18:25 |
| #14 A Maser might be more effective against human targets. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2008-08-16 17:06 |
| #13 The laser will not be able to destroy tanks. It can penetrate thin metal, aluminum can to slightly thicker, and can take out most soft targets. Antenna on tanks are what the lasers would target to make them blind. For other vehicles, tires, fuel cans, radios, etc. would all be targeted and destroyed. "Technicals", trucks with machine guns on them, would be a juicy target for the airborne laser since they are plentiful in 3rd world countries and special operation teams just try to avoid them since they are harder and nosier to kill. A laser popping the tires from 300 miles away as per a radio request is a much better solution. Mobility kills are almost as good, and sometimes better. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-08-16 13:49 |
| #12 Yes. There have been a lot of successful trials for ground-based tactical lasers including rocket/artillery/mortar interceptions. But the air density issues are a real factor that affect operational deployment and use scenarios for short-range attacks. (The tests were held in the arid American southwest.) Air space management is an even bigger issue since, unlike bullets or kinetic countermeasures, a beam that misses its target continues in a straight line and threatens planes and copters in the area. DOD has done a lot of analysis about whether and how to use these things. There's a reason ground-based lasers aren't deployed in Iraq despite the successful trials in the States. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-08-16 12:32 |
| #11 There are also ground based apps for these too, for incoming artillery and such, so they must be able to work well at sea level. A piece of motorized armor could be given a much longer contact I would think. I wonder, does anyone really know what it can do yet. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-08-16 12:27 |
| #10 I wouldn't think it would be able to cut metal, no. But if it hit a tank or apc wouldn't there be a huge temp change in the cabin very quickly? What temp does electrical wiring's insulation melt? What temp would set your clothes on fire? Would it do that? |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-08-16 12:24 |
| #9 Probably not.   Tactical lasers are useful, but there are some significant limitations on what you can do with them. They destroy missiles by heating a *small* spot on the surface which usually detonates the payload or onboard fuel before the beam can melt that spot through. The amount of energy you can put on a spot is affected in potentially significant ways by air density and humidity.  Killing a missile in the thin atmosphere is much easier than killing it near sea level close to an ocean, for instance. The DOD joint program office for energy weapons has a sophisticated model that predicts the performance of a given laser against a given target in a given trajectory / ground motion as a function of those factors. The strongest laser beams are chemically powered, which is one reason the mobile TLs haven't been deployed in Iraq.  The stuff is nasty and requires a significant logistics tail, not to mention troop training. The airborne lasers are IIRC electrically powered. These are useful against certain vulnerable ground targets but far from capable of 'slicing through' most things. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-08-16 11:46 |
| #8 So it could go through 100 or so russian troop carriers fairly quick, in maybe 2 minutes or so? Nice. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-08-16 11:10 |
| #7 The Advanced Tactical Laser isn't just a missile defense system, it's an air to ground tactical system designed to blow stuff up. Apparently it's the equivalent of a really hot blowtorch that will slice through whatever you aim it at. So it can track and down a cruise missile or, just as easily, take on a high-value ground target. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-08-16 09:50 |
| #6 It will get really interesting when they mount an ATL on a blimp. Talk about crowd control! |
| Posted by: Halliburton - Asymmetrical Reply Division 2008-08-16 09:28 |
| #5 the ATL aircraft, a C-130H Thought all this stuff was for 747. If it fits in a C-130 then GameOver. Because C-130s are the best damn plane since the |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-08-16 08:59 |
| #4 I still want to see the test. |
| Posted by: CobraCommander 2008-08-16 04:05 |
| #3 When can they fit it on a Predator UAV? |
| Posted by: gorb 2008-08-16 03:26 |
| #2 ION SPACEWAR > WORLD OCEANS ON THE PRECIPICE OF MASS EXTINCTIONS AND THE RISE OF SLIME [Complex life devol towards Simple] + TOPIX > ANTARCTIC WARMING LINKED TO WARM PACIFIC CURRENTS. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-08-16 01:45 |
| #1 The Democrats are desperate to cancel this program, as they believe our having missile defenses is "provocative" to enemy nations that have missiles. Seriously, this is what they say. Bloody idiots. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-08-16 00:47 |