Free-electronLaser
Latest
Senate denies Navy's missile-destroying laser funding, puts the kibosh on annoying Dr. Evil impressions
Leave it to the Senate to crush the military's fragile dreams. All the Navy ever really wanted was a giant ship-based laser that could be used to shoot down missiles. Despite some record breaking stats, however, the latest defense authorization bill handed down from the Senate Armed Services Committee throws a giant congressional wet blanket on the free-electron laser. The project, it seems, has simply proven too expensive -- among other things, the laser's researchers haven't found the ideal method for powering the weapon from a ship. According to the current timeline, the project was not likely to have been completed before 2020, and as such the Navy's request for further funding was, somewhat ironically, ultimately shot down.
Future Navy lasers will 'burn incoming missiles,' blast through ominous vessels
The United States Navy has been working on next-gen weaponry ever since the last-gen was present-gen, and if the next next-gen ever actually arrives, well... we don't stand a chance at lasting very long. According to Wired, the Navy's Office of Naval Research is expecting laser technology (as it relates to weaponry) to mature in the next score, and if all goes well, a free-electron laser could be mounted on a ship during the 2020s. As of now, FELs produce a 14-kilowatt beam, but that figure needs to hit 100+ in order to seriously defend a ship; unfortunately for those who adore peace, it seems we're well on our way to having just that. When it's complete, these outrageous pieces of artillery will be capable of "burning incoming missiles out of the sky [and] zapping through an enemy vessel's hull." Something tells us that whole "You Sunk My Battleship" meme is just years from reappearing in grand fashion.
US Navy's free-electron laser breaks another record, takes aim at missiles next
The US Navy's free-electron laser has broken a few records already, but it's just plowed through another fairly big one -- one that its creators say could put it on the fast track to actually being used to shoot down missiles. That particular record involved running the system for eight hours at 500 kilovolts, which is a level they've been trying to achieve for the past six years and, according to the researchers, "definitely shortens" the time frame for getting to their ultimate goal of 100 kilowatts. What's more, while this particular test didn't actually involve blowing anything up, the Navy seems confident that the laser will eventually be able to do just that, as it's just recently awarded Boeing a $163 million contract to package the laser in a weapons system that would be deployed on ships and be able to detect, track, and destroy missiles (or presumably anything else ). According the Office of Naval Research, the Navy hopes to meet that goal by 2015. [Image: Wired / Danger Room]
