Raytheon and Northrop Grumman making progress on frickin' lasers

Face it, living out your childhood Spaceman Spiff-esque fantasies with Nerf guns just isn't cutting it anymore; what you need is a laser gun, and on the double. Lucky for you, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman are honing in on weapons-grade laser designs of their own, with Raytheon claiming recent tests were successful detonating 60mm mortars, while Northrop Grumman is gearing up a new "directed energy production facility" for cranking out high-power laz0rs -- and we're sure they'll let you borrow a few if you just ask politely. Right now, weapons-grade is defined as 100kw, a mark neither manufacturer has reached yet, and there's a slight lack of clarity as to exactly how fancy Raytheon's current system is, since it esploded a non-moving target at 550 yards, which is possible for lots of lasers given enough time. Northrop Grumman is a bit more forthcoming with the facts, like crystal shrinkage to the tune of 50%, which should help make these things small and rugged enough for field use, but they won't be ready to demonstrate 100kw in action until the end of next year.

[Rocko @ Jan 16th 2007 9:20PM]

weird, my sis got interviewed for PR Rep. of Raytheon just a couple months ago. She was turned down, but dammmnn, think of the possibilities.

[Sean @ Jan 16th 2007 9:24PM]

SHOOP DA WHOOP!

[Crazylink @ Jan 16th 2007 9:27PM]

HE'SA CHARGIN HIS LAZER!

[Matt @ Jan 16th 2007 9:27PM]

Hmmm i wonder how long it will take before motorola makes the moto lazr...

[Matt @ Jan 16th 2007 9:27PM]

Hmmm i wonder how long it will take before motorola makes the moto lazr...

[retro @ Jan 16th 2007 9:51PM]

IMMA CHARGIN MAH NORTHROP GRUMMAN

[icepop4who @ Jan 16th 2007 9:55PM]

nice

[RikF @ Jan 16th 2007 10:09PM]

Nice Spaceman Spiff reference :) My favorite comic, sorely missed
-----------------------
Lets go exploring...

[aether @ Jan 16th 2007 10:57PM]

The 500-foot range and ability to cut through a tank will be amazingly useful in the battlegrounds of the future. You know, all the urban combat in narrow alleys and small rooms, against distributed groups of unarmored opponents.

Sweet technology, though; the miniaturization might have some interesting civilian uses.

[Lt_Ladle @ Jan 16th 2007 10:57PM]

do we really need another way to kill people in more and more painful and destructive ways?

[kp @ Jan 16th 2007 11:41PM]

Fool. Lasers are used to defend against incoming projectiles. Next time you hop an a Southwest flight take a close look at the skin of the airplane...and don't be surprised if you see a small pointy thing.

Even more foolish to think that either RTN or NG, or both for that matter don't have DE capabilities well beyond 100kw.

Um, that's why it is called the Department of Defense/Homeland Security. Too many frickin' idiots...

[gfar @ Jan 16th 2007 11:00PM]

I think we could use several more ways to kill people...So many people need to die.

[Zizz @ Jan 16th 2007 11:14PM]

When it's completed will the students that designed it use it to blow the roof off of their evil professor's house with a huge jiffy pop bag? Just wondering...

[Adrock @ Jan 19th 2007 3:23PM]

Zizz, they would HAVE to get even! "It's a moral imperative."

[Robert @ Jan 17th 2007 1:29AM]

There are lots of small pointy things all over aircraft. None of them are lasers, and even if the plane was mounting a laser, it wouldnt be small and pointy.

[fraggle_rocker @ Jan 17th 2007 3:55AM]

Its called the "department of defense" because they deemed "department of attack/aggression" as too insensitive. Its an old propaganda trick. Something cant be "bad" if its "defending" you, simple as that.

[teodoro @ Jan 17th 2007 1:36PM]

Ever wonder why since they renamed it Department of Defense from Department of War, that the US hasn't won a war since? (not counting 1st Gulf, technically the current war is just an extension of that)

[Sanx @ Jan 17th 2007 1:10AM]

Sheesh, 13 comments and not one mention of the word 'shark'.

[tobin92 @ Jan 17th 2007 1:50AM]

I have a huge Raytheon across the street,the 2nd biggest in the country. For naval use, since I live about a block away for the Naval War College. Maybe they have laser **** there, I'll ask a couple guys that work as engineers there.

[TwilightGhost @ Jan 17th 2007 2:47AM]

Twopical lazowr beams.
Lazowr beams of.. looove...

[allan menezes @ Jan 17th 2007 7:49AM]

aahhhh Ratheon.....remote control aircraft with lasers.....that'll take 911 to another level. Watch out for another unexplainable disaster....President Bush are you aware that terrorists have.....lol

[Tim UF @ Jan 17th 2007 11:09AM]

Boeing is a bit ahead of these folks, they have a frikkin shar/// er, 747... with a frikkin laser on its frikkin nose!

[Tim UF @ Jan 17th 2007 11:10AM]

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/abl/index.html

[Scott @ Jan 17th 2007 12:19PM]

Northrop Grumman is also involved in the ABL project, Boeing just provided the airplane really.
http://www.st.northropgrumman.com/capabilities/missile_defense/abl.html

[alex @ Jan 17th 2007 12:42PM]

No stun setting?

[SLUG @ Jan 17th 2007 3:10PM]

It's ironic how the Department of Defense's motto is "First to Fire", doesn't sound defensive to me.
But back to the point, having 100KW laser on a shoulder fired package would be sweet!

[ibelli @ Jan 17th 2007 1:20PM]

Glad we're inventing another way to kill people. Money well spent. Thanks, Ratheon.

[E @ Jan 17th 2007 1:32PM]

I wonder if a targeted tank could deflect the frickin laser beam if it were covered in mirrors which would then reflect the frickin laser in another frickin direction...

Mirrors.... shields of the future!!

[Don @ Jan 17th 2007 2:08PM]

10 comments before someone just had to go all peacenik on us. :( "Waaah!!1 Do we really need more ways to kill people"?

Guns don't kill people. LASERS kill people.

[TyPe @ Jan 17th 2007 2:19PM]

Crystal shrinkage....uh....huh huh.

[Amadawn @ Jan 17th 2007 3:15PM]

Very appropriate that these weapons output is measured in "Kill-o-Watts"!!!