Laser Weapon Operational

[Heywood]

I'd be pretty surprised if that information were in the public domain.

I doubt that information would make much of a difference. If I had to guess, they are using blue lasers. They are probably make a wide dispersion angle to mess with communication. When they want to burn something, they make the dispersion angle as small as possible.

I'm guessing that every time they fire it....an angel gets it wings.

[Minimalist]

I think the plan is that every time they fire it some muslim gets 72 virgins.

[vorlon13]

If the dead muslim retains his form from the moment of death, I'm not sure what a grease spot is going to do with 72 virgins in the afterlife.

[Surgenator]

I doubt that information would make much of a difference. If I had to guess, they are using blue lasers. They are probably make a wide dispersion angle to mess with communication. When they want to burn something, they make the dispersion angle as small as possible.

I'm guessing that every time they fire it....an angel gets it wings.

Those angels serve Mars (the God of War).

[Thumpalumpacus]

I'd be pretty surprised if that information were in the public domain.

I doubt that information would make much of a difference. If I had to guess, they are using blue lasers. They are probably make a wide dispersion angle to mess with communication. When they want to burn something, they make the dispersion angle as small as possible.

I'd imagine the operating frequency of a laser weapon would be useful information to an opponent.

Here's the photo with the article:



I think they're doing more than interfering with comm, as is also indicated by this paragraph:

Klunder said that the device is not powerful enough to destroy “frigate-sized vessels,” but said that there was a 150 kilowatt laser weapon – five times as powerful as the one mounted on the Ponce – currently in development.

They're using this as a weapon to repel small craft, according to the article.

[SteelCurtain]

Finally canned the rail gun. I got to see a trial of that weapon system on a Cruiser off Camp Lejeune. It was underwhelming.

[Surgenator]

I doubt that information would make much of a difference. If I had to guess, they are using blue lasers. They are probably make a wide dispersion angle to mess with communication. When they want to burn something, they make the dispersion angle as small as possible.

I'd imagine the operating frequency of a laser weapon would be useful information to an opponent.

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Here's the photo with the article:

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I think they're doing more than interfering with comm, as is also indicated by this paragraph:

Klunder said that the device is not powerful enough to destroy “frigate-sized vessels,” but said that there was a 150 kilowatt laser weapon – five times as powerful as the one mounted on the Ponce – currently in development.

They're using this as a weapon to repel small craft, according to the article.

Thats why I think it's a blue laser. The luminisity doesn't need to be too high to melt through metal with a blue laser. A UV laser would have more energy per photon, but the article mentioned a "dazzle" option. This suggest to me that they're still operating in the visible light range.

[Anomalocaris]

I wonder how soon it would be before people start to install angle reflectors on their missiles so any laser beam pointed at the missile will be reflected back to the laser projectors and damage or destroy it.

Wouldn't the retro-reflective paint used in street signs be cheaper, lighter and more reliable?

Yes, but angle reflector has the added benefit of always reflecting essentially the entire laser beam impinging upon it back to exactly where the laser beam came from.

Why simply reflect the laser in diffused pattern when you can flatter the laser weapon by returning its own compliments?

[vorlon13]

If the energy in the beam is too high, it will start heating the air in the beam significantly. This changes the density of that air, and the effect will defocus the beam.

A defocused laser is just an annoyingly bright light.

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(and I know the proper term is decollimate, but defocus gets the idea across to the audience without some of them having to wiki 'decollimate')

[Surgenator]

After some more digging around, I found this article that says there using 6 5.4kW fiber lasers. Here is some info on fiber lasers. I still don't know the wavelength of the laser.