Navy Maritime Laser tested successfully on the high seas.

[anon45]

It burns through a small boat's engines.

It's moving on up,


"It may not be cutting through a mile of solid steel every few seconds, but the Navy has demonstrated the ability of its solid state laser to disable small boats in a live test.



Northrop Grumman's Maritime Laser Demonstrator (MLD) is a 15 kilowatt solid state laser specifically designed to be mounted on ships. On Wednesday, the MLD underwent its first test, successfully disabling a small boat by setting fire to its motors. The range on this test was about a mile, and the laser was able to stay locked on its target despite the relative motion of its ship and the target boat in what I'd personally call heavy seas:



This is really just a first little taste of the capabilities of naval laser systems, and in a few years, the MLD is intended to be shooting down incoming missiles. A few years after that, we'll have an incredibly destructive free-electron laser ready to go. And it can't be too soon, according to the Navy:

"This is an important data point," said Rear Adm. Nevin Carr, director of the Office of Naval Research, "but I still want the Megawatt death ray."
Yep, don't we all."

The above is from dvice.

Naval laser torches small boat in test | DVICE

 

[anon45]

One more




BAE contracted for tactical laser system
Published: April 8, 2011 at 1:24 PM

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ARLINGTON, Va., April 8 (UPI) -- BAE Systems announced it will demonstrate a Tactical Laser System that can be integrated with existing naval gun mounts under a U.S. Navy award.

The TLS couples a solid-state, high-energy laser with the weapons module to provide precise targeting and counter-material disabling effects.

The system also provides the ability to deliver scalable effects by varying the level of laser energy required, depending on the target and mission objectives.

"The Tactical Laser System provides a 21st-century, directed-energy weapon system with speed-of-light precision effects against surface threats," said Mark Signorelli, vice president and general manager of Weapon Systems for BAE Systems.

"The TLS is revolutionary because it combines kinetic and directed energy weapons capability. Our approach is an effective and affordable solution for the customer because this system can be integrated into existing shipboard mounts."

BAE Systems said it intends to collaborate with New Mexico's Boeing Directed Energy Systems for development of the system.



Read more: BAE contracted for tactical laser system - UPI.com