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

[Dirk Bruere]

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:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --- 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.


Or as I said, 12cm ie around 4 inches.
Still, the figures would apply even if it were only 3 inches.
And since we're being picky the power density I was working with was 1320W 
per sq cm.

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.
> 
> No, let's do a realistic calculation of a power density of 1kW per sq cm.
Oh... I've already done it.
A coat of carbon fibre matt on a katyusha warhead will effectively prevent 
the laser from shooting it down before it impacts. 
That's my claim.
*http://tinyurl.com/7rdzp*

Dirk
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