Pictures of Boeing's Humvee-mounted Laser Avenger

We heard about Boeing's tests of the Hummer-based Laser Avenger last month, but Popular Mechanics managed to score some pictures today, and...well, stay away from that truck. Interestingly, all that gear produces just a centimeters-wide beam, so it looks like our dreams of hand-held laser weapons might still be a ways off. Check the read link for more pics -- including one of the laser taking out a drone aircraft on the ground.

[dataminer49er @ Nov 14th 2007 8:55AM]

Well if the laser doesn't get you the .50 cal machine gun or rocket launcher will.

[Rich @ Nov 14th 2007 8:55AM]

Does anyone else spell popcorn?

[Rich @ Nov 14th 2007 8:57AM]

Ugh! That would be "smell". Where the hell is my caffeine?!

[Josh @ Nov 14th 2007 11:04AM]

P-O-P-C-O-R-N ... is that right?

[Lucas @ Nov 14th 2007 11:21AM]

Everybody wants to rule the world...

[Larz @ Nov 14th 2007 1:40PM]

Haha! What movie was that? I remember it vaguely.

Strap that thing to a shark and we've got a good anti-submarine/surfer weapon.

[Andir3.0 @ Nov 14th 2007 4:22PM]

Strap that thing to a shark and you have a sinking shark.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Nov 14th 2007 10:56PM]

For those 20years or younger.


Real Genius..

http://www.geocities.com/valteamo/house.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/valteamo/science2.html

[wakka_wakka @ Nov 15th 2007 6:29PM]

sharks with frickin "lasers"!
finally.
took long enough.
the ill-tempered sea bass don't work too well.

[athousandleaves @ Nov 14th 2007 9:03AM]

Looks to me like Lemmy Kilmister is driving that thing...

[jimmyfinch @ Nov 14th 2007 7:26PM]

Because his mole is riding shotgun?

[buttabean @ Nov 14th 2007 9:04AM]

First thing I thought was mechwarrior :)

[Karen @ Nov 14th 2007 9:09AM]

Me too!

[buttabean @ Nov 14th 2007 9:17AM]

I hope they do a cool mechwarrior movie soon. Would be insane with the special effects they have now (like the visuals of transformers).

[McGinley @ Nov 14th 2007 10:59AM]

No, that thing is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO Command & Conquer.

I dont care which one,it just is!

[Warhorse @ Nov 14th 2007 11:55AM]

Mech Warrior for sure! Rolling down the screen i saw the top half of the unit and right away thought of a Madcat! Oh memories!

[DM @ Nov 14th 2007 1:14PM]

@ McGinley:

http://cnc.wikia.com/wiki/Generals:Avenger

[Rob @ Nov 14th 2007 9:04AM]

I find it so ironic that we spend so many billions of dollars in coming up with all these "sci-fi" type of weapons, yet these a**holes in Iraq are killing our troops with explosives hidden in tin cans and other crap we find lying around. They don't have the billions we spend on defense, yet they have the ability to stand up to the biggest military power in the world and give it a run for its money. It's shameful to say the least. I'm not criticizing our men and women in the military, as a former, I support them fully. Here and wherever they may be. But, often times I wonder why we still haven't made any progress in the middle east. Yes, I know that other countries like Syria and Iran are sending support. But, damn, I know there are plenty of other weapons being used that we probably don't even know of. Yet, we're being held over there but militias and thugs.

[John P @ Nov 14th 2007 9:18AM]

Probably for the same reasons the American colonists won against the British, who also had a massively superior army in relation to their opponents. Will power, unexpected tactics, home turf. All of these are factors, especially the will to fight. American troops in Iraq are, I imagined, extremely disillusioned with the whole thing. We here in the states don't even really recognize that a war is going on. Except for some economic problems, everything is pretty much the same as it was before. So we get a Vietnam effect upon soldiers who want credit for what they went through, and a public who really couldnt care less. That's the problem with attacks on unstrategic targets.

[rodan32 @ Nov 14th 2007 9:59AM]

Hey John,

I definitely don't want to get into this, but I think the problem with will is more on our end here then with our soldiers. I know personally many friends in the Army and Marine Corps who have returned from Iraq, and they've come back with a true affection for the Iraqi people and a pretty positive outlook on the way things are going there.

Yeah, it's pretty ugly, but I don't think you're on the money with how things are going, at least based on personal talks with actual soldiers. Not every soldier over there is Scott Beauchamp.

Apologies for the off-topic post.

[deedeedee @ Nov 14th 2007 10:08AM]

I agree with John, no one really care about the war in the homeland, whether or not the war is right is an ethical question, but from a military stand point, you want people to support your war and the soldiers fight to death so you can concentrate on strategy. Right now they have too much shit going on,

Imagine you are playing Starcraft and eagerly seeking victory, but at the same time have to deal with your wife complaining about you playing starcraft all day and not mowing the lawn, and kids wanting to use the computer to check myspace...

But well, laser's always welcome!

[Mark Richardson @ Nov 14th 2007 10:56AM]

What run for its money? We're annihilating them. The only advantages they have are that they all dress the same, making civilians difficult to distinguish between terrorists, and that they know their turf.

Haven't you noticed how shockingly low our casualty numbers are? Compare this war to any other war in our history in terms of casualties alone and that tells you all you need to know.

As a former military officer, you ought to know you can't believe the media coverage.

Only recently have we started to hear positive news from the media about the war, and that's only because it's gotten so good that the media can't afford not to report it any longer without losing whatever little credibility it still has.

[Rob @ Nov 14th 2007 12:06PM]

Mark Richardson, I agree with you on some points. Yes, I don't trust the media because good news don't bring good ratings. That's unfortunate, but it's the truth. So, they go with the bad news instead. I've worked in Public Relations and know how the press works. However, if we are really doing as well as the supporters of the war would like to make us believe, then why are we still there with such high number of troops and the local government not knowing what to do after all these years. I understand that there's much more to it than what can be shared with the public and press. However, it's a lack of combined efforts that's brought us into this mess. I'm not arguing the reasoning behind going to war. It's too late for that. My original argument was that we have the manpower, all the military technology and yet, we're being held captive by thugs and militia. If not, we would've achieved our goals by now; establish a democratic government, bring peace and stability to Iraq, and other benevolent goals. So far we've achieved some of them, but there's a big "but" after each one of them. I have full confidence in our military personnel to get the job done, and get out. My question is, why haven't we.

[Yooooouu @ Nov 14th 2007 12:29PM]

Um. Yeah you are all way off topic.

If I wanted to hear about how things are going in Iraq I'll start watching Fox News.

[randy @ Nov 14th 2007 8:04PM]

Off topic? Pffft, what the hell do you think these weapons are for? Elk hunting? Everybody is on topic, you're just a whiny turd. And Mark Richardson owns everybody, he's dead on.

[RC @ Nov 14th 2007 9:06AM]

That thing is going to be sooo annoying at the base drive-in.

[Bob P. @ Nov 14th 2007 9:22AM]

I was thinking more of "Generals"

[Alex @ Nov 14th 2007 9:23AM]

invisible laser? hopefully a firmware update will change that.

[timmy @ Nov 14th 2007 9:41AM]

Wow, anyone else disturbed by:
a) how rusty that (gas?) cylinder on top looks?
2) that the IR B/W picture (gun's eye view?) is upside-down?
third) how big the 'tache is on the driver?

[dmdallas @ Nov 14th 2007 10:43AM]

no, not really.

[muddyh2o @ Nov 14th 2007 9:43AM]

i'll be scared when the laser beams come out of the headlights.

[Adrian Williams @ Nov 14th 2007 9:52AM]

It looks cool and all but IS IT PRACTICAL in a real war

[FreshJulius @ Nov 14th 2007 9:57AM]

Do you have to press the big button on the left to fire the thing?

[Kamokazi @ Nov 14th 2007 10:00AM]

It would look better on a shark.

[tastybytes @ Nov 14th 2007 10:11AM]

sooo.. it this using a blu-ray or hd-dvd laser?

[Mobius_1 @ Nov 14th 2007 10:32AM]

Is this another advert to entice young people to join the army? Not bad...

[meeko @ Nov 14th 2007 10:38AM]

nonono robots with legs are the thing, I want command of a Mech squad, then I will comission

[Natedog @ Nov 14th 2007 10:38AM]

"just centimeters-wide"? Isn't that kinda large for a laser? Or are you stating that the problem is that it's TOO big and needs to be concentrated further?

[Tim Brown @ Nov 14th 2007 10:38AM]

Two questions: Will it blend, and can you use it in doom? BFG be dammed, I want one!

[Zeus the God @ Nov 14th 2007 4:38PM]

Depends...

1) How big is the blender?

2) Is the laser green, and have we landed on Mars?

[Brian @ Nov 14th 2007 10:41AM]

Looks like its right out of Command & Conquer: Generals

[debugy2k @ Nov 14th 2007 10:55AM]

So this is like a million terrawatts green laser pointer right? lol

[Mark Richardson @ Nov 14th 2007 10:58AM]

"Interestingly, all that gear produces just a centimeters-wide beam, so it looks like our dreams of hand-held laser weapons might still be a ways off."
Now that's a non-sequitur if I've ever seen one.

[Blackster @ Nov 14th 2007 11:17AM]

nilay cm wide in diameter, not in reach! there seems to be plenty of that tho ;) ^^

[Tommy J?nsen @ Nov 14th 2007 11:21AM]

This is where a slightly more polished version of the Tinfoil Hat (tm) might actually do some real protecting! :-D

[Toadlet @ Nov 14th 2007 12:11PM]

"Pimp My Ride" has gone TOO far this time

[JLTate @ Nov 14th 2007 12:13PM]

Mechwarrior and Command and Conquer? What's wrong with you people, haven't you ever played Armored Core? Heck, it's even got the questionable-yet-obligatory gun in the "chest" between the "arms"! Remove the hummvee passenger cabin and put a little head on top and you're done.

[Java Bot @ Nov 14th 2007 4:14PM]

That is awesome!! so when are they going to start mounting these things on warthogs??

[dave @ Nov 14th 2007 1:43PM]

I think this weapon would have a greater psychological impact if the laser beam was visible.

[Veriander @ Nov 14th 2007 1:29PM]

This thing has real potential for other uses. I'd deploy it as an offensive weapon against personnel or a combine it with a Boomerang acoustic sniper-detecting system as a defensive weapon. It’s small enough to mount on an attack helicopter, too. Or build it into a UCAV that could loiter over the battle space and take out individuals of high value with zero collateral…

ZAP!!