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Tag Archive for lasers

Equal and Opposite Reaction

March 31, 2015 future, Writing Comments Off on Equal and Opposite Reaction

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/tech/innovation/navy-laser-weapon/index.html

A few months ago, over on G+, Daniel Suarez had posted a link regarding the rise of the drone delivery service and the ever growing presence that remotely controlled drones are beginning to have, both the civilian and military kind.

It makes perfect sense that the Navy would already have a “drone killer” of their own in development, and apparently this one is stable enough to be properly deployed for duty (as opposed to still being concept video).

As a laser-based defense (one where the laser is your primary weapon, rather than being used for disorientation or object tracking) this is probably the most sensible use.  Where drones are concerned, you don’t have to worry about casualties (unless you shoot the drone down into a schoolyard) and your range is going to be limited by a combination of power and atmospheric interference, rather than physics.

Laserbeams and Rayguns

March 8, 2015 future, Writing Comments Off on Laserbeams and Rayguns

http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/04/lockheed-martin-laser-athena-test/

Lasers are a funny thing. They became the quintessential “weapon of the future” at some point, whether they were called rayguns or phasers or blasters, they all translate to the audience as a coherent beam of light. Depending on the need, they can vaporize tanks, cut through plate steel, stun or kill an enemy.

As a tool, in today’s modern military, lasers are invaluable, not for laying waste to opposing armies, but for guidance and tracking, for measurement and judgement. Lasers as weapons have never quite made the leap to practicality, but tests like the one linked above to Lockheed Martin’s new “Truck Killer” show that they are approaching feasibility, if you can find a way to make them cheaper than good old-fashioned bullets.