Airborne Laser Missile Defense Making Progress

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spacelifejunkie

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I'd love to see some video of this baby in action.<br /><br />link<br /><br /><br />SLJ
 
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holmec

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Great!, but shouldn't this be posted in Aviation section? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#0000ff"><em>"SCE to AUX" - John Aaron, curiosity pays off</em></font></p> </div>
 
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spacelifejunkie

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"Great!, but shouldn't this be posted in Aviation section?"<br /><br />Maybe, I wasn't quite sure where to put it. Lasers - Technology. Airplane - Aviation. Military - ?. <br /><br /><br /><br />M&L - "What's up, what's down, and what's just floating about."
 
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propforce

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I think this is relevant to the M & L section. It's a part of Missile Defense initiatives.<br /><br />My experience with scientific laser show that even an electrical powered laser was powerful enough to punch holes through papers and plastics, I can't imagine the power of laser that punches thru metals.<br /><br />The future for ABL is full of promises. Imagine the old B-29 bomber with ABL just zapping off those Japanese Zeros like flies. <img src="/images/icons/cool.gif" /> We will not need stealth airplanes, we'll just equip them with ABL and zap off every missiles & bullets that shoot at it. <br /><br />ABL does not need to be airborne to be useful. Put them on aircraft carrier and make it a perfect self-defense weapon. Put them on satellites and just point toward earth on a major city. Enough said ! <img src="/images/icons/crazy.gif" /><br /><br />Sure, the technology may not be as advanced or as compact for some of these potential applications. But this is technology development, as the first ones are always bulky and, with time and money, they get improved to more powerful and with smaller packages.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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3488

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No this is Military, pure & simple & as such, should either be in Space Business & Technology<br />or even Free Space.<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>
 
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josh_simonson

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I think it'd work great against light infantry too, it's like the ultimate snipers weapon. It should have a good psychological impact as well, at any time when a bad guy is outside he will know that he can spontaneously combust. <br /><br />Also watch the space for tests of the laser against LEO satellites.
 
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MeteorWayne

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Please shorten the link.<br />It makes it too hard to read the rest of the posts.<br /><br />If you need instructions on how to do so, see the FAQ.<br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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Testing

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I helped build and was console operator for first light on the development model of COIL. The problems are some nasty chemicals to handle and a nasty bi-product to get rid of afterwards. Corrosive too. During a subsequent test a pickoff mirror on a motorized stage got programmed a bit wrong and a SS adjustment knob made it into the main beam. Prettiest cut I had ever. seen <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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spacelifejunkie

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Yes, MeteorWayne. Much easier now.<br /><br />My apologies.<br /><br />SLJ
 
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MeteorWayne

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Hey no problem.<br />I appreciate it, now I can read the thread <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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steve82

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I guess it's progress. Seems like they've been working on that thing forever, though.
 
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Testing

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There was a lot to be learned. Several rooms of equipment scaled up to sevreal buildings surrounded by equipment scaled down to fit in a 747 with a guiding system. We were dealing with a a fixed target then, a calorimeter. AGIL sounds like a better deal. I was out of it prior to the move to Edwards. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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docm

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Best options;<br /><br />Fiber lasers<br /><br />Free electron lasers<br /><br />See the parallel thread in Aviation <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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propforce

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<font color="yellow">There was a lot to be learned. Several rooms of equipment scaled up to sevreal buildings surrounded by equipment scaled down to fit in a 747 with a guiding system. </font><br /><br /><br />Who in here remember how big a mainframe was when built with vacuum tubes? <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />Laser technologies will only get better, more compact and portable in the future. I would strongly recommend any aspiring future engineers to learn as much as they can about laser, optics, plasma flow regimes, and nuclear physics because that's where the future is heading. <br /><br />Josh made a good point about future soldiers arm with laser rather than a rifle. Anyone who has play with a laser pointer should be amaze with how light travels through space with ease. Now imagine those lights are powerful enough to punch holes thru metals. <img src="/images/icons/crazy.gif" /><br /><br />Laser are also extremely useful in scientific research. It opened up a whole field of non-intrusive diagnostics. We've used it to diagnostic the combustion process inside of rocket combustion chamber, sample exit species for combustion efficiency measurements, etc. In the future, laser propulsion will soon be here fast enough for launch vehicles.<br /><br />Oh and whoever said that, just because ABL is for military application therefore does not belong on the M & L is full of it. If that's the case, then we should remove 80% of posts of relevant value from M & L.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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josh_simonson

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A former classmate of mine worked on something to do with this thing, according to him: "One way or another, the beam is coming out of the aircraft - hopefully out the intended hole." <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />
 
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Testing

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I think the first time I had some grasp of understaning was when I plumbed in the Calorimeter instrumentation. Water cooled wedge shaped beam dump. One inch lines. When I got to the flow metetrs I did a double take and went to the Inst. Engineer to confirm the flow rating. "yeah, that will put us in the ball park". <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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