Raytheon tested Helicopter Mounted Laser Weapon System

[Basel]

https://twitter.com/x/status/879323373087674369

@Ulla @Zarvan @Oscar @Windjammer

@Penguin @gambit @Tempest II @Deino @Bilal Khan (Quwa) @nair

 

[YeBeWarned]

i read on a link few months that they have been working on a miniature Laser system , could be for same reason, but i wonder how they are powering the weapon from the Copter ?

 

[The Accountant]

Same question came to my mind .. probably using some additional batteries and higher end capacitors but this could mean there will be some delay in attack from the laser ... or some limits in the number of shots to be taken before charging

One thing is for sure that without modification current power of appache is not sufficient to energize the laser directly and it might be using some sort of energy storage ...

i read on a link few months that they have been working on a miniature Laser system , could be for same reason, but i wonder how they are powering the weapon from the Copter ?

 

[YeBeWarned]

Same question came to my mind .. probably using some additional batteries and higher end capacitors but this could mean there will be some delay in attack from the laser ... or some limits in the number of shots to be taken before charging

One thing is for sure that without modification current power of appache is not sufficient to energize the laser directly and it might be using some sort of energy storage ...

Addition batteries means reducing systems or payload .. but yet again to charge a laser weapon you need further power cant be done from the existence power plant of Apache unless they modify it too @gambit @Penguin @Oscar any idea ?

 

[Basel]

Same question came to my mind .. probably using some additional batteries and higher end capacitors but this could mean there will be some delay in attack from the laser ... or some limits in the number of shots to be taken before charging

One thing is for sure that without modification current power of appache is not sufficient to energize the laser directly and it might be using some sort of energy storage ...

Mounting laser on Helicopter means they have developed a solution for it, and now they are testing it against ground targets, it will be very deadly weapon.

 

[The Accountant]

Mounting laser on Helicopter means they have developed a solution for it, and now they are testing it against ground targets, it will be very deadly weapon.

Yes theoratically unlimited ammunition supply but against which type of target it is effective and upto what ranges ???

I doubt that it will be effective against armoured vehicle however can be deadly against troops ammunition depots ...

Furthermore the easiest defense against these laser weapons is using highly refective heat prone mirrors ineffect theoratically it can be send back to the attacker as well ...

Lets see how practical applications for this works out in future ...

 

[jetray]

Yes theoratically unlimited ammunition supply

how so ? energy is still limited rt? possibly it will be derived from the engine driving the rotors. That means as much much fuel the chopper carry's.

 

[The Accountant]

how so ? energy is still limited rt? possibly it will be derived from the engine driving the rotors. That means as much much fuel the chopper carry's.

Yes, thats why I said theoretically ... as long as it can charge the batteries and the laser weapon it is available but suerly it will be higher than number missiles being caried

 

[The SC]

The Army successfully tested a laser gun on an Apache helicopter

Apache helicopter laser
(An Apache helicopter firing a laser weapon.Raytheon)

It was the "first time that a fully integrated laser system successfully engaged and fired on a target from a rotary-wing aircraft over a wide variety of flight regimes, altitudes and air speeds," Raytheon said. The Apache hit the target from about 0.9 miles away.

Raytheon combined a version of the Multi-Spectral Targeting System, which is an electro-optical infrared sensor, with the laser during the test, the company said.


according to War is Boring." data-reactid="28">They may also prove one day to be a cheaper alternative to the Apache's 30mm machine gun and hellfire missiles, which cost about $115,000 each, according to War is Boring.


But there are still obstacles to overcome, according to Ketner. Laser weapons use a lot of energy and, at least for now, have a hard time breaking through dust, smoke, and haze.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/army-successfully-tested-laser-gun-184400289.html

 

[Penguin]

It remains unclear exactly how powerful the laser is that is flying on the Apache, but it sounds like it is surprisingly well integrated for an experimental bolt-on device. The system's size is also impressive. For a totally new exploratory program like this, the entire laser package is only about the size of one of the Apache's external fuel tanks, which points to the possibility that this system can go from testing to the front lines faster than one may expect.

As Matthew Ketner, branch chief of the High Energy Laser Controls and Integration Directorate in Virginia, told the Army News Service: “Lasers don’t run out of bullets.” But there are still obstacles to overcome, according to Ketner. Laser weapons use a lot of energy and, at least for now, have a hard time breaking through dust, smoke, and haze.
https://www.defense.gov/News/Articl...ns-bring-sharp-advantages-to-the-battlefield/
https://www.businessinsider.nl/army-laser-gun-apache-helicopter-2017-6/?international=true&r=US

I would think power is generated by the helicopter, but not sure.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/mil...commandos-to-arm-apache-gunships-with-lasers/

 

[KAL-EL]

I don't think even Airwolf or Blue Thunder had laser power.

 

[Oldman1]

Yes theoratically unlimited ammunition supply but against which type of target it is effective and upto what ranges ???

I doubt that it will be effective against armoured vehicle however can be deadly against troops ammunition depots ...

Furthermore the easiest defense against these laser weapons is using highly refective heat prone mirrors ineffect theoratically it can be send back to the attacker as well ...

Lets see how practical applications for this works out in future ...

Only if it was possible to use mirrors against such lasers.

 

[Penguin]

I don't think even Airwolf or Blue Thunder had laser power.

Nope, they didn't.

 

[The Accountant]

Why not ? I am not talking about common mirrors ... there are high quality mirrors which have higher rates of reflection and are resistant to heat ...

This is science

Only if it was possible to use mirrors against such lasers.

 

[The SC]

Why not ? I am not talking about common mirrors ... there are high quality mirrors which have higher rates of reflection and are resistant to heat ...

This is science

But then you need to put those mirrors on everything in the battlefield..!