OMGLazers

[Vladimir]

With a hat tip to the man in the M2 thread that chose that name. It appears that while the UK is demilitarizing that the US is building Texas sized laser tag.

http://intelligence-summit.blogspot.com/2007/01/northrop-opens-first-us-laser-weapons.html

Northrop opens first US laser weapons plant

WASHINGTON (Reuters): Northrop Grumman Corp. on Tuesday opened the first U.S. production facility for high-energy laser weapons, saying it hoped to benefit from rapid growth in the new class of weapons that are cheaper to operate than traditional missiles.








Anyone have any thoughts on this? I don't think they'll find a buyer with Russia supplying everyone with their new SAMs.

[drone]

Lasers are sooooo 20th century, I prefer this:

Headshot!
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/012007/01172007/251373

[Vladimir]

Short of developing a fusion power generator, I don't think they'll be practical.

[BDC]

Or useful. There is a reason kalashnikovs are still used despite being so old; they are cheap, reliable, and a bullet is still pretty effective at killing people. Kind of the opposite of lasers.

They do have uses on ships etc where they can be used to make incoming missiles go out of control by superheating the front of them...

[CrossLOPER]

https://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o273/CrossL/lazar.jpg

[yesdachi]

If we would just get over our aversion to killing masses of people, sarin gas is cheaper and more efficient with no collateral damage.

[BigTex]

The gas based laser's they've devoloped are quite useful. The B-52 missile shield they're building with the hydrogen based laser's is quite the improvement over the patriot. Technology and computer programs to hit flying missile's has been used for quite awhile and tested for decades. Phalanx and other Carrier based missile defense systems work well. The upgrade to a laser should be useful.

Considering all the ray and sound based weapons they have developed and the laser based weapons they are building and developing now. It is quite a good thing they decided to build a factory to produce these products in country. Though the size of the factory is more related to the size of the parts they are dealing with. The tubing and gas containers fill almost the entirity of a B-52.

Their useful, but they need to be developed further. Definately not something that should be abandoned the potential yield in weaponry is quite amazing.

[Major Robert Dump]

We need lasers to fight the aliens once we win the race for space domination. We could also use them to assasinate foreign leaders without launching a train wreck of a war.

[BDC]

There were experiments done with sound weapons in WW2. They didn't work. Shooting people with bullets is better and cheaper, and actually works.

[Major Robert Dump]

BDC no offense but you have obviously never been in a dogfight with a UFO, bullets don't work against their shields and radiowave thingies.

[Vladimir]

Rock and pointy stick technologies are cheaper as well. Care to tell me the range of a WW II cell phone? :inquisitive:

[Major Robert Dump]

1.5 meters

[Banquo's Ghost]

Rock and pointy stick technologies are cheaper as well. Care to tell me the range of a WW II cell phone? :inquisitive:

I reckon I could throw it, oh, thirty yards.

[BDC]

BDC no offense but you have obviously never been in a dogfight with a UFO, bullets don't work against their shields and radiowave thingies.
Highly mobile UFOs have nothing to fear from a B52.

"Oh no it's behind us! Let's see how well these things turn!"

*B-52 falls apart from stress*

[Vladimir]

I reckon I could throw it, oh, thirty yards.


1.5 meters

Banquo for teh win!

(actually I was thinking about the hand held bricks that had a range of 2 miles :shrug: )

[English assassin]

Lasers, shmazers. I've said it before, and I will keep saying it until someone listens, this is the 21st century, can someone at Honda please tell me why the hell my motorbike still has an internal combustion engine? And wheels?

I DEMAND a Judge Dredd style hoverbike, complete with bike cannon, and I demand it now. And someone had better be working on a full on Flash Gordon rocket bike, or I will want to know why not.

Personally I think the reason aliens have not invaded is our personal transportation technology is still so hilariously backward. So we don't need lasers

[BDC]

Lasers, shmazers. I've said it before, and I will keep saying it until someone listens, this is the 21st century, can someone at Honda please tell me why the hell my motorbike still has an internal combustion engine? And wheels?

I DEMAND a Judge Dredd style hoverbike, complete with bike cannon, and I demand it now. And someone had better be working on a full on Flash Gordon rocket bike, or I will want to know why not.

Personally I think the reason aliens have not invaded is our personal transportation technology is still so hilariously backward. So we don't need lasers
It only does 1 mile a gallon.

And try wheeling something without wheels to the nearest petrol station. Especially with the expensive paint work.

[yesdachi]

And someone had better be working on a full on Flash Gordon rocket bike, or I will want to know why not.
I would vote for genetically engineered wings (like the hawk dudes from Flash Gordon) over a rocket bike. ~D

[Watchman]

Fancy being a meter tall with hollow bones perhaps ? :balloon2:

[yesdachi]

Fancy being a meter tall with hollow bones perhaps ? :balloon2:
Those hawk dudes from Flash Gordon were way taller than a meter, and we all know how realistically grounded Flash Gordon was.
http://iq.lycos.co.uk/i_exp/035/e8/035e83c3af2515c6f2d1e2fd4dbfd3fc.m.jpg :laugh4:

[Watchman]

I have vague recollections of them wearing pretty kinky costumes as well. I take it the gengineering required buggers you fashion sense ?

[Del Arroyo]

Or useful. The reason that the spear is still so popular, even after thousands of years, is that it is pointy, simple to make and use, and if you stick it in someone, it will kill them. Spears have no reload time, function regardless of weather conditions, and they always hit the mark. Kind of the opposite of gunpowder weapons.............. :book:

[Samurai Waki]

Or you could go the opposite way in theory of revolution. Back in the 30s-70s people thought that the Computer was a relatively dumb piece of machinery, that was really only useful for calculating, aside from the fact that it was the size of a small building. Lasers...like pretty much all relatively new fields of technology take time to produce and perfect. We probably won't see any Death Rays in awhile, but the birth of new sed technology can take many initial forms, and many years. In retrospect, the Computer was refined and miniaturized in a span of about 30-40 years, whereas Guns have taken roughly 500 to 600 years to get where we are at. And even though lasers aren't even close to being perfect today, under the right conditions I'd still rather shoot someone with a Laser Designated Pointer that is linked to an F-16 than shoot someone with an AK-47.

If we want to look at a practical vs. Specialised Laser Technology it is very akin to looking at the Firecracker vs. the Arquebus.

Right now with Laser technology the furthest thing we've developed is the firecracker e.g. Laser Pointers, Range Finders, etc.

Our Arquebus would be Smart Weapons Technology, and anti-missile Technology.

We've known about this for awhile. Now its time to evolve from the Arquebus to the musket.

Have an open mind, before damning the project altogether.

[InsaneApache]

I was under the impression that laser weapons had been banned.

Yes it seems they are. (http://hrw.org/english/docs/1998/07/29/usint1194.htm)

[CBR]

I was under the impression that laser weapons had been banned.

Yes it seems they are. (http://hrw.org/english/docs/1998/07/29/usint1194.htm)
Why not read the link before posting it here? :clown: Its about laser blinding weapons. Weapons made to dazzle and potientially ruin the eyes of people.

The lasers talked about in OP link are high powered weapons that are to destroy missiles and aircrafts.


CBR

[InsaneApache]

I did. (a few days ago) :sweatdrop:

Still it seems it's OK to blow your limbs off, get a nice round hole in your head/body or get blown to smithereens but whatever you do, don't blind 'em. :smash:

Mind you, going by that logic, pointed sticks should be banned as well. :clown:

Reminds me of a joke.

Harold Godwinson is sat in his castle when word reaches him that William the Bastard has landed an army in deepest Sussex.

"I need men to join my army to fight off these invaders", says Harry.

The sergeant at arms guides a group of blokes into the kings presence.

"What do you do?" says Harry.

"I'm a martial arms expert", says the first man.

"Show me what you can do", says the king.

The guy pulls out two broadswords and proceeds to give a demonstration of his prowess. (think V for vendetta)

"Crikey" says Harold, "you're in".

"Next".

The chap steps up.

"and what can you do?"

"Watch this" says the warrior.

He produces two axes and swirls them about his person, ala Bruce Lee and his nunchakers.

"Blimey" says Harold, deeply impressed, "you're in as well".

"Next".

An archer stands before the King.

"Alright show me" says Harold.

Well the guy strings his bow and makes ready to fire his arrow.

The first shot flies wildly through the air, narrowly missing the Lord Chamberlain.

The next one isn't much better, flying off at a 45 degree angle from the archer, breaking a window and landing in the garden outside.

He tries again. This time the arrow shot straight upwards, embedding itself in the ceiling.

"That's enough" bellowed the King.

"You're a menace with that bow, you could have someones eye out with that!".

Edited for joke.

[CBR]

Still it seems it's OK to blow your limbs off, get a nice round hole in your head/body or get blown to smithereens but whatever you do, don't blind 'em. :smash:
Heh well I think the main issue is that it is a weapon designed only to make people go permanently blind.

Now being blind might still sound more humane than being dead, but that didnt stop us from banning chemical weapons although they wounded more than they killed. And the same with those pesky small mines that are designed to blow off a foot.


CBR

[Del Arroyo]

Actually, my understanding of the rationale behind the chemical weapons ban is that it would just be a huge pain in the !&$ to fight entire battles in MOPP gear. Because basically gas weapons are a thing that can be totally neutralized with the right equipment and procedures, but these are such a massive hassle that we're better off just forgetting the whole thing.

[Kekvit Irae]

IMMA CHARGIN' MAH LAZER! (http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/images/3/3a/Mahlazer.jpg)

SHOOP DA WHOOP!

[Geoffrey S]

If we want to be future-people, we need more spandex.

[CBR]

Actually, my understanding of the rationale behind the chemical weapons ban is that it would just be a huge pain in the !&$ to fight entire battles in MOPP gear. Because basically gas weapons are a thing that can be totally neutralized with the right equipment and procedures, but these are such a massive hassle that we're better off just forgetting the whole thing.
International Committee of the Red Cross writes (http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/0/cf3d4e11317b8ae2c1256b66005d8927!OpenDocument&ExpandSection=4) "The ICRC’s work relating to chemical weapons early in this century and its more recent work on landmines [7] and blinding laser weapons [8] was driven by its concern at their horrific effects on health."

But yes fighting a war after chemical weapons have been released is certainly gonna be a lot of trouble. From a pure military or cynical point of view that might the main reason why they were banned. OTOH they can still provide some advantages.


CBR

[CrossLOPER]

SHOOP DA WHOOP!
I'm sorry, but I am afraid /30/ must come into effect here. Although it does not really matter since /47/ has already come into effect.