The USS Portland conducted a high-energy laser weapon system demonstration on a static surface training target yesterday while sailing in the Gulf of Aden.
During the demonstration, the ‘Solid State Laser – Technology Maturation Laser Weapons System Demonstrator Mark 2 MOD 0’ (let’s just call it LWSD) aboard Portland successfully engaged the training target.
Amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) conducted a high-energy laser weapon system demonstration, Dec. 14, while sailing in the Gulf of Aden. Read more ⬇️https://t.co/nYWqgtbLdQ pic.twitter.com/L0xfysIG1q
— U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) December 15, 2021
The new laser was developed by the Office of Naval Research and Northrop Grumman, and has an output of 150 kilowatts. this is n contrast to the Laser Weapon System (LaWS), deployed on the USS Ponce in 2014, that had a reported output of 30 kilowatts, enough to shoot down small drones. The 150-kilowatt weapon, according to a report by the Lexington Institute, “would be capable of addressing the threat posed by UAVs, small boats, rockets, artillery, and mortars.”
The system was first tested last year.
Ok, so “Photon torpedoes” anyone?
On a more serious note however. The photo seems to have been taken using an infrared filter, as these powerful LASERs are normally not in our visual spectrum. That means an adversary wouldn’t know what’s hit them! Literally.
Don’t know if they are somehow related, but I read an article the otherday about an all silver F22 currently been used for trials
Would probably offer some defence against LASER type weapons, depending on reflectivity, heat dissipation etc?
It’s been widely reported that the US and the UK are trialling experimental adaptive camouflage coatings. On the theme of Star Trek you could say they are trialling a Klingon cloaking device.
I read many years ago of DERA making an armoured vehicle vanish.
Hi Daniele, I do recall some technology whereby tiles applied to the side of an AFV displayed images captured by cameras on the other side, thus rendering it “invisible”. I don’t think my mind has addled enough to be making it up!😁
Yes there is the camera plus esentiallytv panels on the other side, there is also visual cloaking by HyperStealth and adaptive armor by BAE
ADAPTIV – Cloak of Invisibility | BAE Systems | International
The ADAPTIV looks interesting but you are in the poo if the baddies are using top notch visuals a la AJAX.
That’s the one! And I’d left it vague as I had forgotten what it entailed.
Thanks.
Pretty amazing to my own addled and very unscientific brain.
CR is the man to comment really.
Yeah, it was BAe piece of tech, I think in Estonia or one of the Baltic States that made the IFV ‘invisible’ when looked at via a certain spectrum.
A bit like MOD Army.. they’ve made many armoured vehicles disappear and they meant to be on our side!
I sent you an apology BTW on the other thread….Barry! 🙄
Ta bud.
It’s seems lately they’ve expanded on that and have made an entire armoured vehicle procurement vanish.
If only it had been someone else’s.
Ajax?
No, this was way back in the late 90s early noughties. Don’t recall the vehicle only the tests.
Challenger 3?
Mate the MOD and various Governments have made about 2000 Armoured vehicles bloody vanish!!!!!!!😇
🤡😇😰
Stephen Coonts wrote about F-22 Adaptive paint (called Chameleon) in book years ago (1999) battling in Siberia against Japanese new ‘Zero’ with stealth !!!
I’d also read, regarding the “Black world” now, and back in the 90s, of a drone using some sort of “chameleon” skin.
It was seen as so classified that any crash would mean bombing the nation it came down in “back to the stone age” to protect the tech.
Who knows what they have now. Fascinating stuff.
Not much of a stretch from: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lorry-cam-will-show-cars-the-way-ahead-is-clear-v353pw5f3j0
apparently an f35 in same outfit has been seen. Some theorising was from or near Skunk works
Depends on the wavelength of the laser. I’ve tried to attach a pic. Which shows silver is very absorbent of light in about the 500nm and below wavelength. ie it will take that energy and burn but longer wavelengths will bounce off. You can see steel is easily cut by nearly everything, aluminium though isn’t. Further right is more red, which is what the photo above seem to suggest. Quoting from laserax: fiber lasers, for example, produce shorter wavelengths, with some examples ranging between 780 nm and 2200 nm. CO2 lasers, on the other hand, produce longer wavelengths that typically range between 9,600… Read more »
Could have been taken using UV cameras too. I know the image is coloured red but that doesn’t mean it’s an IR/red laser. I imagine the frequency range of the laser is tunable and classified.
I agree, I was trying to convey the idea that weapon style LASERs are invisible to the naked eye.
cheers
Actually they have nuclear powered lasers which radiate glass rods to produce directed beams of x-rays. So in effect it could be called a ‘photon bomb’ in it’s infant state. Or what we all may consider more appropriate with it’s estimated destructive capability, ‘the death ray’.
Do we in the UK have any hope of joining in this DEW fun?
The USS Ponce (an old Austin Class) has been the USN’s main test bed for lasers she has successfully taken out small boats and airborne drones moving at speed she has also been able to lock onto 20mm rounds fired near to the ship. There are 2 schools of thought at the moment the first is to develop a rapid response quick firing point defence system as a beam of light is a lot cheaper that 1000’s of round and/or a missile and the second school of thought is for an anti ballistic missile/anti satellite system.
S.A.R wrote: The USS Ponce (an old Austin Class) has been the USN’s main test bed for lasers That she was, but she was decommissioned in 2017 and her place as a test bed for laser weapons was taken up by the USS Portland in 2018 which saw an increase in power from 30 kW to 150KW. The US is also looking at fielding less powerful offensive lasers (60Kw) in which to allow ships with less electrical power capabilities to use them, (High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS)) as well as an Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN)… Read more »
Yeh it is some time since I followed this story so am a little behind the times sorry
USS Ponce was also decommisoned in 2017
It is remarkedly easy to defend against lasers.
Not if they are frequency agile or mixed frequency.
You can see what is reflected back and then use the energy in the frequencies that are melting/burning the target.
Chris wrote:
“”It is remarkedly easy to defend against lasers.””
Yup this geezer seems to have made an art out of it.
I’ll get me coat,
Captain America’s shield?
They are working on a version of this for Tempest!
The beam fired by Dragonfire will be far more powerful than a DIRCM, which need only dazzle not destroy.
MBDA has not released data on the laser’s performance, but officials on the program reportedly believe it has world-beating power and accuracy.
https://www.c4isrnet.com/global/europe/2021/03/15/britains-dragonfire-ship-laser-gun-to-get-accuracy-boost/
“The first laser will undergo user testing onboard a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate by detecting, tracking, engaging and countering unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), announced the MOD. Meanwhile, a “Wolfhound” armoured vehicle will host a laser demonstrator that will investigate capability against UAVs and other airborne threats for the British Army. The RF weapon demonstrator will also be used by the British Army, hosted on a “MAN SV” truck to detect and track a variety of air, land and sea targets. “The MOD said that the novel weapons technology will be integrated onto the Royal Navy and British Army platforms… Read more »
Good stuff. With the Russians and Chinese looking to hypersonic missiles this technology of laser directed energy weapons by very nature travels at light speed. What a great counter measure; warp factor 1 directed energy weapons.
The UK’s Dragonfire project has been fairly quiet recently, unless I have missed something.
Red sky at night, sailors’ delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.
(Just for Daniele as I missed Lusty Friday!)
You did!!!!!!! I tried being daft but I don’t have your “finesse” 😉😆
Oh ok nothing to see hear everyone. Lasers and drones never going to happen no unmanned or any of that nonsence. Stick to good old whatever. Just wanted to be the first ! 😀
Ok…Stop predicting lasers taking out ICBMs and Hypersonics. The tech doesnt yet exist in a deployable weapon form and wont for decades Solid State lasers and Fibre Optic lasers have an upper power limit of around 500Kw. That will on a good day without any air pollution, haze or moisture( because you never see that in the maritime environment!) let you hit and possibly kill a small slow target at 5km. Great for UAVs and small boat swarms but thats about it at sea. Anything capable of hitting a target at 20Km plus and at speed then its free electron… Read more »
You’ll be an Albert Hammond fan then: “Free electron band”!
😂
Not a problem. You simply aim multiple layers at the same target.
Without a doubt the mod are working really hard on the newest of modern technology ‘re world beating weapons in the disguise of the Ajax noise penetrating sound beams which will obliterate any forward based enemy troops when they hear the squadron of Ajax vehicles approach making the sound of thousands approach ing armour vehicles. Kept that one under the radar didn’t they !!!
Now do it with rain…
The only problem with lasers is that you cannot get it to fire around corners. At the moment it is a good line of sight close in weapons system only, the the tech although advanced is still in the early stages of development. Its taken decades to make this system small enough to fit a ship of the line or fast jet. The power needed to generate a laser beam is tremendous.
Does anyone remember the US Being YAL 1 a 7 forty 7 test bed
Some years ago. Developed I think as part of the star wars programme.
All of those “next gen” weapons from Reagan’s Star Wars, that were dropped at the end of the cold war, will start to reappear over the next few decades, so lasers, hypersonics, rail guns, electrothermal tank guns, hafnium isomer warheads, quantum computers, single stage to orbit shuttles, mk500 Evader warheads for Trident.