Dr. Evil's AC-130

[Lawman]

Ok.... this is friggen cool.

http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2006/q1/060123a_nr.html

 

[pennst8]

Cool.

So I guess now we need an international treaty so the good guys can have red lasers and the bad guys have blue lasers (ala GI JOE).

 

[Brett327]

That's friggin cool. I'd like to see that used in an anti-personnel mode where the unsuspecting dude just spontaneously bursts into flame. When do they issue us the photon torpedoes?

Brett

 

[Blutonski816]

So... pending the success of THIS laser....

When can we expect the Moonraker Program to reach IOC??

 

[JC52083]

I see they are using a plane from over here near Eglin...maybe they can test the laser on some of the rednecks up there in Crestview.

 

[JIMC5499]

How many get lasers?

 

[gaijin6423]

You didn't hear this from me, but why do you think that there are always so many "control burns" NOTAM'd out around here? Ah-HA!

I'd almost prefer if they started doing C-130 1v1 over Crestview. At least I'd have something to watch while 'observing' RIs. Maybe then they'd have a reason to fly like jackasses, too.

 

[Fly Navy]

I love technology.

 

[gregsivers]

You didn't hear this from me, but why do you think that there are always so many "control burns" NOTAM'd out around here? Ah-HA!

I'd almost prefer if they started doing C-130 1v1 over Crestview. At least I'd have something to watch while 'observing' RIs. Maybe then they'd have a reason to fly like jackasses, too.

HAHAHAHA. Oh man that was creative. Its more like 1v1 with the 57s. I don't know how many times we've had a close call in the Eastern area thanks to those @ssholes flying around with no lights at night. B@stards. Its always cool when you're flying along and your helo gets rocked by the wake from one of the 130s.

 

[KBayDog]

HAHAHAHA. Oh man that was creative. Its more like 1v1 with the 57s. I don't know how many times we've had a close call in the Eastern area thanks to those @ssholes flying around with no lights at night. B@stards. Its always cool when you're flying along and your helo gets rocked by the wake from one of the 130s.

The -130s had to add lasers in order to level the playing field with the mighty Sea Ranger.

 

[gregsivers]

The -130s had to add lasers in order to level the playing field with the mighty Sea Ranger.

Damn right, especially when I'm flying under the hood up there. Watch out!

 

[phrogdriver]

Directed energy weapons are the wave of the future, especially in the age of collateral damage awareness. It sounds sci-fi, but it's no joke. This stuff will be one of the biggest changes on the battlefield in the next 10 years or so.

There is a huge advantage in having a zero-time-of-flight weapon. You will see bad guys snipered by frickin' laser beams and never know what hit them. Eventually this type of weapon will be miniaturized enough to mount as a tactical weapon aboard regular platforms, e.g. helos, HMMWVs, etc, both as point defense and as offensive weapons systems. You're starting to see the beginnings of this in DIRCM on aircraft and experimental countermortar systems on the ground side.

 

[Fly Navy]

SkyNet Hunter-Killers are so close...

 

[Lawman]

SkyNet Hunter-Killers are so close...

I was thinking X-wings myself.

 

[gaijin6423]

My uncle works for TRW. He works with some scary technology out in the desert somewhere. TRW's (openly) had a HMMV-portable, high output, chemical laser for over a decade. It just cost too much to be that feasible. With the advent of better/faster computer processing speeds and better materials science, as well as the whole missile defense project thing, it's becoming more and more reasonable everyday. It would take a LOT to scale things down to an integrated tactical employment level, though.

And when it DOES reach the man portable realm, I have just one thing to say: Light-freaking-saber.