U.S. Navy successfully tests high-energy laser weapon in Gulf of Aden

[Counselor706]

(UPI) — A U.S. Navy ship successfully fired a new, high-energy laser weapon on Tuesday, destroying a training target.

The USS Portland destroyed the static target in the Gulf of Aden as part of a demonstration.

The system was initially installed on the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship in 2018, successfully destroyed an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV) in 2020.

The Laser Weapons System Demonstrator (LWSD) is a “follow-on to the Laser Weapon System (LaWS) that afloat forward staging base USS Ponce tested for three years while operating in the Middle East,” according to a Navy release.

Source

 

[Bud_Spencer]

Now, if we only had cometent sailors to sail the ship to the bad guys...

 

[pecksniff]

I presume the technology is still not at a point where a hand-held laser would be a practical weapon -- you need the kind of machine only a ship can carry.

And, does this really offer any advantage over the most advanced naval weapons now in use, i.e., missiles?

 

[ll74]

Coming soon

 

[pecksniff]

What the DoD really needs is a good ol' Agony Beam!

 

[pecksniff]

It's about time we had a Death Ray.

 

[LittleDixie]

More money spent on war.

Eventually, these people will get what they want.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kotzendes-einhorn.de%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F06%2Fplanetderaffen.gif&f=1&nofb=1

 

[Champakian]

I wanted Kim Hunter for so long that she got too old.

 

[JohnnySavage]

I wonder how a navy ship got to the Gulf of Aden. They must have had some civilian consultants on board to help with navigation.

Probably retired Chief's from the good ole days.

 

[Rightguide]

What the DoD really needs is a good ol' Agony Beam!

The Marine Corps already has one, ADS, Active Denial System. It has a range of about 1000 meters and will heat up about 1/64th of the outer skin to an unbearable degree causing the subject or subjects to flee:

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.MfGEtx61Lgx4zllfLG10HgHaE0%26pid%3DApi&f=1

 

[pecksniff]

The Marine Corps already has one, ADS, Active Denial System. It has a range of about 1000 meters and will heat up about 1/64th of the outer skin to an unbearable degree causing the subject or subjects to flee:

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.MfGEtx61Lgx4zllfLG10HgHaE0%26pid%3DApi&f=1

MIRROR SPOCK: The agony booth is a most effective means of discipline.

 

[pecksniff]

More money spent on war.

Eventually, these people will get what they want.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kotzendes-einhorn.de%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F06%2Fplanetderaffen.gif&f=1&nofb=1

Well, at any rate, lasers are not weapons of mass destruction. In their potential use, they're essentially just a new form of cannon.

 

[LittleDixie]

Well, at any rate, lasers are not weapons of mass destruction. In their potential use, they're essentially just a new form of cannon.

Point taken. But, I'm not worried about this particular drop of water. I'm worried about the tide.

 

[Sean Renaud]

Now, if we only had cometent sailors to sail the ship to the bad guys...

We have thousand competent sailors and no bad guys of the size and competence to justify keeping all of them on the pay roll but that's obviously a different story. Nobody likes to hear that you've got enough toys.

 

[Rightguide]

We have thousand competent sailors and no bad guys of the size and competence to justify keeping all of them on the pay roll but that's obviously a different story. Nobody likes to hear that you've got enough toys.

There are plenty of bad guys.

 

[pecksniff]

There are plenty of bad guys.

Not enough to justify the existence of the USN at its present size and scale.

I mean, we certainly don't ever want them fighting the Chinese navy, or the Russian -- too much risk of nuclear escalation -- and who else has a navy worth bothering about?

 

[Rightguide]

Not enough to justify the existence of the USN at its present size and scale.

The Chinese and Russian Navies are of sufficient size to justify an increase in our navy, notwithstanding your ignorance in this area of expertise.

 

[pecksniff]

The Chinese and Russian Navies are of sufficient size to justify an increase in our navy, notwithstanding your ignorance in this area of expertise.

We certainly don't ever want the USN fighting the Chinese navy, or the Russian -- too much risk of nuclear escalation -- and who else has a navy worth bothering about?

 

[Sean Renaud]

The Chinese and Russian Navies are of sufficient size to justify an increase in our navy, notwithstanding your ignorance in this area of expertise.

Only if you're paranoid as hell. ITs doubtful that China and Russia could do much to us even if they combined forces. I get it though, the mind of a Conservative is driven almost exclusively by fear. Always has been , probably always will be.

 

[Champakian]

We certainly don't ever want the USN fighting the Chinese navy, or the Russian -- too much risk of nuclear escalation -- and who else has a navy worth bothering about?

We've been fighting them for years by proxy; no nukes to date
nor is the probability high that we ever will as long as either
side will not go for total victory forcing a do or die launch
as a final middle-finger MAD...

 

[Champakian]

Only if you're paranoid as hell. ITs doubtful that China and Russia could do much to us even if they combined forces. I get it though, the mind of a Conservative is driven almost exclusively by fear. Always has been , probably always will be.

The only difference between the two teams is that the Democrats
use and operate under the fear of their domestic enemies, the Republicans...

 

[Sean Renaud]

The only difference between the two teams is that the Democrats
use and operate under the fear of their domestic enemies, the Republicans...

LOL. Please show me where the Democrats are pouring tons of resources into things that do not directly arrect them. Hell they barely go after the domestic terrorists, let alone stand up to their cover unit the REpublicans. ITs one of the weaknesses of the left.

 

[Champakian]

Spellcheck is your friend and clearly logic is your enemy...

 

[Champakian]

The only reason that they don't go after domestic terrorists is that...



... most of them are on their team ideologically and politically.

 

[icanhelp1]

Only if you're paranoid as hell. ITs doubtful that China and Russia could do much to us even if they combined forces. I get it though, the mind of a Conservative is driven almost exclusively by fear. Always has been , probably always will be.

And yet delusional (D)s running around with their hair on fire screaming “COVID’s COMING! COVID COMING! RETREAT TO YOUR CELLARS AND STAY THERE TILL WE GIVE THE ALL CLEAR” meanwhile 2 years later