http://gizmodo.com/5978740/us-military-to-install-laser-turrets-in-combat-airplanes
"liquid-cooled, solid-state lasers"
Finally that 30 years of Star Wars research starts to pay off...
Wow. Cool find. Thanks for sharing :)
Sweet!
Very cool.
Hmmm...I wonder if something similar might be used to defend MBTs against AT missiles.
Forwarded the article to an analyst I know. His comments:
Several points about this poor article to consider:
1) The 747-based ABL was an abject failure, NOT a success. The
corrosive chemicals were so difficult to handle that it was
effectively impossible to operate in a non-spacesuited environment.
As any high-school chemistry student could (and did) tell the US Air
FARCE many times in the 1990s.
2) HELLADS is first going to be tested on ground-based vehicles; I
would be surprised if OPEVAL airframe tests were actually completed by
2014-Dec-31.
3) Even if they work from aircraft/RPVs, a HELLADS-type system will
indeed transform warfare, but not in the way the Air Farce expects;
rather, it will have the effect of eliminating all CAVU tactical
flight ops over enemy territory, because *ground-mounted* lasers will
always have the advantage over airframe-mounted ones, due to (a) more
available power (duh...), (b) "armoring" (by which I mean ability to
both conceal and shield the ground-mounted laser in a way that is
patently impossible for aircraft.
I had forgotten why I'd started ignoring Gizmodo a while ago, but this
helped me remember! Thanks!
this is why you ignore gizmodo (http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/08/us-army-trades-bayonets-for-weird-tomahawks/)
Ground mounted lasers have the advantage where they are[/i] airborne lasers have the advantage of speed that determines where the battle takes place. When air power cuts supply lines ground lasers cant get to the fight.
I found the article here and it reads much better.
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=23895982&nid=1012