[extropy-chat] LASER: DARPA's HELLADS small laser weapon makes headway

Mike Lorrey mlorrey at yahoo.com
Mon Sep 5 17:09:14 UTC 2005



--- Dirk Bruere <dirk.bruere at gmail.com> wrote:

> On 9/5/05, Mike Lorrey <mlorrey at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > --- Dirk Bruere <dirk.bruere at gmail.com> wrote:
> > 
> > > On 9/5/05, Mike Lorrey <mlorrey at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Firstly, your ciaonet reference page is login access only.
> > > >
> > > > Secondly, any weapon small enough to fit on a fighter aircraft,
> > > which
> > > > is what HELLADS is intended for in its final version, would not
> > > have an
> > > > aperture or beam size of 12 cm. Aerodynamics and airframe space
> > > > limitations wouldn't allow it. The point of the weapon is
> something
> > > > that replaces the 20 mm vulcan cannon currently standard
> equipment
> > > on
> > > > US fighters and is typically mounted within one or the other
> wing
> > > root.
> > > > A laser weapons caliber/beam width should be of similar
> dimensions,
> > > > thus 20 mm would be about .80 caliber. Beam size between
> .50-1.50",
> > > or
> > > > 12-37mm are what the application would call for.
> > > >
> > > > If you can't fit the weapon inside the cavity reserved for the
> > > vulcan
> > > > cannon, don't waste your time. Especially if it winds up being
> some
> > > > add-on pod that takes up bomb/missile/fuel tank rack space, and
> > > > detracts from vehicle aerodynamics.
> > > >
> > > > From what I've heard, it fits in a weapons pod.
> > 
> > Sources, please.
> > 
> > > It's not internal.
> > > Second, data I extrapolated from was the airborne MIRACL system
> > > http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/asat/miracl.htm
> > 
> > Miracl was a large 10-20 year old technology. Your assumptions are 
> > groundless.
> > 
> > Well, here's some up to date stuff
> http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=163
> 
> "The beam is only a few inches in diameter"
> 
> http://www.missilethreat.com/systems/thel.html
> 
> "The beam itself is only a few inches in diameter"

Okay, 
1) MIRACL was vastly larger system than the current MTHEL system.
2) you've got two quotes there saying "a few inches" NOT "twelve
inches". "A few" is taken as two or three in colloquial US english,
which is far closer to my estimate than to yours.
3) the THEL system is significantly larger than what is intended for
HELLADS. THEL takes up three trailers of equipment, while HELLADS is
intended to be carried by a tactical fighter aircraft or UCAV, which
would be at least two orders of magnitude reduction in equipment
volume.
4) the THEL technology is a deuterium fluoride laser technology, while
HELLADS uses diode pumping of an optical fluid, a completely different
technology.

It therefore follows that if THEL, a three trailer technology, has a
beam of 'a few inches', a HELLADS system for tactical fighters that is
two orders of magnitude smaller would produce a beam even smaller than
that, likely within the range I've specified, if not smaller.

Now that we've disposed with  that objection, lets do some realistic
calculations of the effects of 150 kW hitting a missile casing in an
area of less than 20 mm radius.

Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
Founder, Constitution Park Foundation:
http://constitutionpark.blogspot.com
Personal/political blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com


	
		
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