USNI News
Amphibious ship USS Portland (LPD-27) shot down a drone with a laser weapon during a first-of-its-kind at-sea test of the Navy’s high-energy laser weapon system.
The Navy is currently developing and testing a portfolio of laser weapons, some of which are more powerful but only suited for ships with greater power-generation capabilities, like the San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks (LPD-17), while others are less powerful but could be fielded on a greater variety of ships, including the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
In this test, Portland fired its high-power laser weapon at an unmanned aerial vehicle while operating off Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on May 16, U.S. Pacific Fleet announced in a news release today. More
There several problems with laser weapons.
They take a huge amount of power to pack the energy needed to destroy a target at a distance before it can take counter measures, and that power takes time to recharge them after they’ve taken a shot which means a lower rate of fire than conventional weapons.
If surface mounted, they are limited in range to the horizon line and can’t shoot over it to hit anything not in line of sight the wan artillery and missiles can. (a mortar or howitzer can shoot over a hill and hit targets on the other side, a laser cannot).
They don’t actually actually generate the neat sound effects they do in the moves which makes it much less fun to shoot them than regular guns. This is probably the biggest drawback, maybe they could work on that.
This is cool technology. We’ve shot down drones with lasers before, but the parked a special forces quad on they bow or stern and used the lasers on those.
I like to think they’re testing them for use by the Space Force!!
Are these going to be on sale soon? There’s a couple targets here in Washington I’d like to focus on.
From the Desk of President Trump
Dear China….In response to Your recent behavior…
We need a big ass one in orbit with unlimited solar power.
Can the Portland use it on Antifa?
Could the USS Portland use it on Portland?
Like, maybe the town hall, and such?
Just a thought…
To detractors…we’re still very early in the history of energy weapons. Much more to follow in the coming years.
The last I heard they were at around 44,000
watts of energy.The guy was saying that they are
about at the limit of how many photons they
can concentrate in a narrow beam.
…seems like you could also use much lower powered lasers to blind your enemies with their own night-vision optics…
When Trump is out of town, point it at Congress for about an hour.
You don’t need to vaporize it. Just shoot a highly focused electromagnetic pulse with a frequency range designed to disrupt the on-board electonics. Then it just falls from the sky.
I hope they don’t use it on Alderaan, they are a peace-loving people, they have no defenses!
…kind of gives the ship’s position away…
so, Dr. Allende was basically correct & the USS Eldridge did disappear!
… the thot pickens
I am waiting for the hand held version in pulsed 40 watt range.
Tsquared MAY 24, 2020 AT 8:13 AM
“I am waiting for the hand held version in pulsed 40 watt range.”
…funny, there was another guy in here looking for something like that earlier…
https://youtu.be/BdjdpoqITXk
Cool? Can we mount them on sharks?
This makes me feel great.