Moontanman Posted June 2, 2015 Posted June 2, 2015 Lasers are finally coming of age, directed energy weapons small enough and powerful enough to be practical are finally coming of age. The ability to shoot down incoming artillery rounds and other targets from a small mobile platform is going to start a new chapter in defensive warfare.. http://www.scientifi...apons-get-real/ Quote By Andy Extance and Nature magazine | May 28, 2015 Laser weapons have long fascinated weapons developers—most notably during the heyday of the Strategic Defense Initiative, nicknamed Star Wars, in the 1980s and 1990s. andrea.pacelli/FlickrMore on this Topic The Changing Face of War Silently, the drone aircraft glides above the arid terrain of New Mexico—until it suddenly pivots out of control and plummets to the ground. Then a mortar round rises from its launcher, arcs high and begins to descend towards its target—only to flare and explode in mid-flight. On the desert floor, on top of a big, sand-coloured truck, a cubic mechanism pivots and fires an invisible infrared beam to zap one target after another. This High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD) is a prototype laser weapon developed for the US Army by aerospace giant Boeing of Chicago, Illinois. Inside the truck, Boeing electrophysics engineer Stephanie Blount stares at the targets on her laptop's screen and directs the laser using a handheld game controller. “It has a very game-like feel,” she says. 1
GeoChair Posted June 13, 2015 Posted June 13, 2015 I remember seeing this clip of people inventing a kind of laser that could peel potatoes. I remember thinking to myself, "wow, what a time to be alive."
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