WOOT! US army knocks out artillery shell with a Laser!

[Icehawk]

Yes, Gundam is weak. But I still love it with all my heart. [icon_mrgreen.gif]

Yeah I know what ya mean. Gundam is just to classic to get angry with. *Hugs Tallgeese model*

[Icehawk]

Back on topic. Didn't Nikola Tesla originally theorize and write detailed documents on the usefullness of energy weapons like this 70 years ago?

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Sort of.

Although Tesla was kind of a nut-job so few of his more "out there" ideas are scientifically sound.

[NecronLord]

How does it target them?

How long does it take to track?

To travese

These things are not going to be much use against barrages.

I seem to rember that the pevious test missiles all had homing devices in them, and still the thing didn't hit very well. Frankly, like the patriot missiles last time, the israelis are getting a croc. I hope they aren't paying.

[phongn]

*thwap* Read some non-US history books.

So the history books written in the US are wrong and the ones written elsewhere are right?

Yeah, sorry... Got to calm down a bit...

Yes, calm yourself. Then fill your mind with pr^H^Hinformation and see the light

(j/k, but do you really want to start another war between us two?)

Star Wars was a system ceded in talks with the Russians in order to prevent them from rapidly increasing their ground based missile stocks.

SDI was a bluff. There really wasn't any real chance of its deployment (we did not have the lift capacity even if we did have all the satellites to move) but it very much scared the USSR, who did think that we could do it - and they could not afford to counter it.

Indeed, but it was still a creation traded with the Soviets. And not a factor directly responsible for their collapse as MoO claimed.[/quote]

I'd argue that it was direct factor, though not the factor as MoO implied. But that's a topic for enother day

[phongn]

How does it target them?

Radar hooked up to a fire control computer, I think. Maybe some EO sensors as well.

How long does it take to track?

To travese

These things are not going to be much use against barrages.

They've already tested them against rocket salvos. I doubt the information on traverse or track time is public, though it isn't exactly a difficult problem.

I seem to rember that the pevious test missiles all had homing devices in them, and still the thing didn't hit very well.

There was a homing beacon on the target RV, yes, but the EKV didn't have the recieve on it. Only the interim boost rocket did to point it in the general direction. They were doing that because the X-Band radars at the test range wasn't operational yet (it is now).

Again, no homing information was given to the EKV.

Frankly, like the patriot missiles last time, the israelis are getting a croc. I hope they aren't paying.

OTOH, THEL has proven itself against rocket salvos in tests. Patriot was more or less rushed into service as a TBM system, of which PAC-2 wasn't designed for (PAC-3 is, though).

[Slartibartfast]

Now we need to link six of these in a Phaser Array and then Target....

THE MOON!

So I want to carve my name up there so what?

Chairface Chippendale already beat you to it

[HemlockGrey]

Sweet! Laser weapons!

ALL HAIL THE TERRAN EMPIRE!

[neoolong]

Now we need to link six of these in a Phaser Array and then Target....

THE MOON!

So I want to carve my name up there so what?

Chairface Chippendale already beat you to it

SPOON!

[Sea Skimmer]

How does it target them?

How long does it take to track?

To travese

These things are not going to be much use against barrages.

I seem to rember that the pevious test missiles all had homing devices in them, and still the thing didn't hit very well. Frankly, like the patriot missiles last time, the israelis are getting a croc. I hope they aren't paying.

Patriot was a SAM designed to knock down aircraft which was deployed in inaduite numbers to knock down totally different targets. Not surpising that it failed to get the warhead and rahter did was it was suppost to do and exploded against the biggest target, the missile body.

THEL was design to shoot down rockets and artillery fire from the start. It has demonstrated the ability to do this many times.

[Solid Snake]

Now we need to link six of these in a Phaser Array and then Target....

THE MOON!

So I want to carve my name up there so what?

I actually found a group of fundie idiots that wanted to carve Jesus's face in the moon. They still do, i think. http://www.jhs2.com/jhs/index.html

[TrailerParkJawa]

This unit would be very useful to protect airbases from random arty and rocket attacks in places like Afghanistan.

Anyword on what kind of weather conditions this thing can operate in?

Is heavy cloud cover a big problem?

[Guest]

Now we need to link six of these in a Phaser Array and then Target....

THE MOON!

So I want to carve my name up there so what?

Didn't something like this happen in GIJOE, the cartoon?

[Mr Bean]

Didn't something like this happen in GIJOE, the cartoon?

Yes but those bastard Joe's Foiled Corba Commanders Brillant idea, oh poor Commander, friend of the working man, saver of puppies and kittens and here comes the Joe's to kick sand in his eye and take his giagantic love ray

[Sea Skimmer]

This unit would be very useful to protect airbases from random arty and rocket attacks in places like Afghanistan.

Anyword on what kind of weather conditions this thing can operate in?

Is heavy cloud cover a big problem?

The laser fires a low power pulse to clear the water out of the main pulse, which comes a fraction of a second later. This would make it fairly effective in high moister areas, clouds and light fog, but heavy storm clouds or actual rain would make it ineffective at long ranges.