Navy ready to deploy laser system this summer

[Sailor]

US Navy ready to deploy laser system this summer; rail guns aren't far behind

Some of the Navy's futuristic weapons sound like something out of "Star Wars," with lasers designed to shoot down aerial drones and electric guns that fire projectiles at hypersonic speeds.

That future is now.

The Navy plans to deploy its first laser on a ship later this year, and it intends to test an electromagnetic rail gun prototype aboard a vessel within two years.

For the Navy, it's not so much about the whiz-bang technology as it is about the economics of such armaments. Both costs pennies on the dollar compared with missiles and smart bombs, and the weapons can be fired continuously, unlike missiles and bombs, which eventually run out.

More here:
www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/02/17/us-navy-ready-to-deploy-laser-system-this-summer/?intcmp=latestnews

[warrior1972]

Feb 18, 2014 3:04:13 GMT -8 Sailor said:

US Navy ready to deploy laser system this summer; rail guns aren't far behind

Some of the Navy's futuristic weapons sound like something out of "Star Wars," with lasers designed to shoot down aerial drones and electric guns that fire projectiles at hypersonic speeds.

That future is now.

The Navy plans to deploy its first laser on a ship later this year, and it intends to test an electromagnetic rail gun prototype aboard a vessel within two years.

For the Navy, it's not so much about the whiz-bang technology as it is about the economics of such armaments. Both costs pennies on the dollar compared with missiles and smart bombs, and the weapons can be fired continuously, unlike missiles and bombs, which eventually run out.

More here:
www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/02/17/us-navy-ready-to-deploy-laser-system-this-summer/?intcmp=latestnews

Both of these are weapons systems I had wondered about, and was ready to assume they were failures and had been shelved.

I see I was in error.

[Sailor]

Warrior, if it's any comfort, even though I'm closer to the "community" I didn't know the laser system was ready to deploy operationally. The last setup I saw was the test rig set up in the middle of the fantail flightdeck of a Burke class DDG. I knew that one wasn't going to stay permanently because no tincan skipper is going to be willing to give up his most flexible and potent ASW weapon system. The tincan in question was one with a twin bay helo hanger.

Room will be found for a more permanent setup, perhaps on the roof of the hanger with a way to shield it from the exhaust of the missiles from the launcher just forward of the hanger.

I would WANT such a system in my ship if it's ready to rock.