12mo ago

The UK says it conducted a 'groundbreaking' trial of a laser beam weapon that can neutralize targets for $0.12 a shot

www.businessinsider.com

The UK said it test-fired a laser beam weapon in a "groundbreaking" trial.
The Ministry of Defence said it could neutralize targets for just $0.12 a shot.
Countries are racing to develop weapons that can combat drones and missiles.

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12mo ago

The UK says it conducted a 'groundbreaking' trial of a laser beam weapon that can neutralize targets for $0.12 a shot

www.businessinsider.com /uk-says-tested-laser-beam-weapon-multiple-targets-neutralize-drones-2024-7

46 comments

The U.K.? This is not a good sign... you know what this usually means...
- I miss 9 every day 😭
- EXTERMINATE. ANNIHILATE.
- Btw, what is that supposed to be?
  
  a Dalek.
  
  Billie is no Jenna Coleman, but she's still cute.
The kill to cost-savings ratio on this is amazing. We can kill so many for so little!
- Leaving so much room for activities!
  
  so much room for activities
  The new Ford class carriers have a nuclear reactor in them that outputs about 2x as much power as the ship actually needs. If/when these are ready for prime time, prepare or some raves on the flight deck!
- This will be used against drones and missiles. Does make me wonder what the cost per bullet is for militaries though
  
  I know, I know, Quora, but this seems properly researched.
  $0.23 for a round of 5.56, $0.76 for a round of 7.62. Ish.
  Keep in mind, too, that lasers fire in about as straight a line as you can hope for, while bullets do not. It's going to take a lot more bullets fired to neutralize a target than laser "rounds" fired.
  
  Cruise missiles are usually shot down with interceptor missiles, which are a lot more expensive. Simple kinetics don't have the range for that.
- Woooooo! Death Ray! Yeah!
- For a less than you pay for a cup of coffee, you can evaporate 10 or even 50 people!
Can it be put on a shark?
- On its head, specifically?
  
  No sharks, but perhaps sea bass
defeated by fog, cloud cover.
- Or a mirror
- There has already been work clearing clouds with lasers.
  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/28317
  https://airbornescience.nasa.gov/content/Retrievals_of_Thick_Cloud_Optical_Depth_from_the_Geoscience_Laser_Altimeter_System_GLAS_by
  IR and UV both seem to penetrate clouds, but I can't say if they will retain their focus as a directed beam.
my what a savings
Wasn't there this YouTuber that made a laser mosquito trap? It's just a matter of time until that will be used against humans.
- that was Bill Gates
So let's not invent a shield that can stop any fast incoming forces using arcane physical effects... Heard that turns out badly
- Nah, we definitely need some AT fields.
Well... MW8 will be saddly very boring.
Press F to activate the drone killer automated system
But did it go "Pew pew"?
Is it called Megiddo?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xNmbvaUzC8Q
Is this where they got the idea?
- https://youtu.be/xuv7SIVNkx8?si=llKOVfdJXPmOvWJ7
  More likely from here.
The US has been playing with these kinds of lasers for over a decade now. Last I saw a demonstration, the laser wasn't powerful enough to just zap something. It had to focus on a warhead and heat it up until it exploded. It wouldn't work on a missile in flight. Maybe they improved it, but I suspect the introduction of slow drones like the Iranian Shahed made it feasible.
The cost per shot was pennies a decade ago. But how fast can they shoot these? It must be able to shoot fast and constantly if you want to deal with swarms.

46 comments