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

Dirk Bruere dirk.bruere at gmail.com
Mon Sep 5 16:51:40 UTC 2005


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"

Dirk
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/attachments/20050905/9fa90b98/attachment.html>


More information about the extropy-chat mailing list