AC 130 laser

urmomma158 · 11-01-2006, 15:56 PM

Quote:

A laser-cannon version of the AC-130 gunship has begun flight testing, according to Air Force and Boeing Co. officials. The “low-power” flight tests began Oct. 10 and continue through the fall.

The flights over the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico involve evaluating how well the laser gunship’s target tracking system works. A low-power, solid-state lasers serves as the surrogate for a high-powered chemical laser still being developed.

The high-powered laser was fired for the first time on Sept. 21 in ground tests at Albuquerque, N.M., an achievement known as "first light," a Boeing statement said. The ground tests will continue through the fall.

In 2007, Boeing will install the high-powered laser in the C-130H and fire the laser at ground targets. The laser beam will be fired through a rotating turret mounted into an existing 50-inch-diameter hole in the C-130H's belly.

The advanced tactical laser is a Defense Department and U.S. Special Operations Command advanced concept technology demonstration program with Boeing as the main contractor. Central to the project is the Air Force Research Lab's Directed Energy Directorate and the 46th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., which provided the C-130H.

A $200 million test budget will carry the project through flight testing.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.p...25-2173968.php

Is this project somehow related to the advanced tactical laser??? Well anyways it's great news that lasers will be used by military soon.

highsea · 11-01-2006, 16:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by urmomma158

...Is this project somehow related to the advanced tactical laser???

Well, since that is the ATL, the answer would be yes. See this post:

U.S. Missile Shield Won't Work

YellowFever · 11-01-2006, 17:36 PM

I know about as much about lasers as I know about my wife's state of mind during PMS (which is about nil) so let me ask someone on this board...

How far are we from perfecting this technology and shrinking it down enough to incorporate it into a "gun cannon" of a modern fighter?

(Sorry for the question, but I really love the Colonel Viper from the original Battlestar Galactica series.

)

highsea · 11-01-2006, 17:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YellowFever

...How far are we from perfecting this technology and shrinking it down enough to incorporate it into a "gun cannon" of a modern fighter?

We are a few years out, but making good progress. The ATL is a chemical laser similar to the ABL, and not suitable for a fighter due to the need to carry the chemicals on board.

To put a laser in a fighter, you need to go solid-state. We have tested these on Humvees, but they are lower power. There are plans to put a solid-state laser on the F-35 (A and C variants) that would be powerful to take out an incoming AAM or possibly even take out an opposing fighter by targeting the fuel tanks. It would be powered by the same takeoff on the F-135 that the VSTOL variant uses to power the lift fan, and occupy the same space in the airframe. We could be testing this sometime around 2010-2012 if we maintain the current pace of development.

-{SpoonmaN}- · 11-01-2006, 18:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by highsea

We are a few years out, but making good progress. The ATL is a chemical laser similar to the ABL, and not suitable for a fighter due to the need to carry the chemicals on board.

To put a laser in a fighter, you need to go solid-state. We have tested these on Humvees, but they are lower power. There are plans to put a solid-state laser on the F-35 (A and C variants) that would be powerful to take out an incoming AAM or possibly even take out an opposing fighter by targeting the fuel tanks. It would be powered by the same takeoff on the F-135 that the VSTOL variant uses to power the lift fan, and occupy the same space in the airframe. We could be testing this sometime around 2010-2012 if we maintain the current pace of development.

As far as I know the F-35B has additional space for the nessecary power generation capacity set aside so it can be built into the existing planes later.

YellowFever · 11-01-2006, 19:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by highsea

.....that would be powerful to take out an incoming AAM .....

Thanks highsea...shoulda known you could answer my dumb questions

One more question, though.

When you say "take out", do you mean scrambling their internal electronics to make it lose it's guidance systems or melting a hole right through it or even blowing it up on contact?

From everything I've seen of lasers so far, blowing it up on contact, Hollywood notwithstanding, seems way too far off to even talk about right now...

highsea · 11-01-2006, 20:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -{SpoonmaN}-

As far as I know the F-35B has additional space for the nessecary power generation capacity set aside so it can be built into the existing planes later.

Nope. The system will have to occupy the space used by the lift fan. It's not a matter of how much power the F-135 can generate, it's about available space within the airframe.

highsea · 11-01-2006, 20:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YellowFever

...When you say "take out", do you mean scrambling their internal electronics to make it lose it's guidance systems or melting a hole right through it or even blowing it up on contact?

I mean anything that causes the incoming AAM to fail to connect with the target. I don't really care how it's acheived.

But it wouldn't be a "Star Wars" kind of visual. More likely just a sudden failure of the airframe due to aero forces or a miss due to unguided flight from a fried seeker.

urmomma158 · 11-01-2006, 20:18 PM

Quote:

Northrop Grumman Laser Firsts

2006 – Strategic Illuminator Laser (SILL) meets all technical performance requirements in tests that prove it's the highest power, brightest laser of its kind ever built. Funded by the Missile Defense Agency, SILL is a new, diode-pumped, solid-state, next-generation illuminator laser.
2005 – Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) demonstrator blasts one of the most powerful (more than 27kW), continuously operating (350 seconds), solid-state laser beams ever produced by an electric laser—believed to be the brightest beam ever produced by this technology.
2004 – Missile Defense Agency successfully fires Northrop Grumman-built Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser, the first megawatt-class laser built for an airborne environment for ABL
2004 – THEL Testbed shoots down mortars — singles and a salvo — proving that directed energy can be applied on the battlefield to address current threats
2004 – THEL Testbed destroys a large-caliber rocket carrying a live warhead in-flight — the largest, fastest and highest flying target ever destroyed by a high-energy laser
2003 - Northrop Grumman selected to develop the Strategic Illuminator Laser (SILL) for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), providing a crucial component for systems such as ABL and future space-based programs.
2003 – Delivery of the brightest flight-qualified kilowatt-class solid state laser - the Beacon Illuminator Laser built for ABL
2002 – First in-flight destruction of an artillery projectile (THEL)
2001 – First COIL laser module packaged for flight operations built for the Airborne Laser (ABL)
2000 – First in-flight destruction of salvoed short-range, live artillery rockets (THEL)
1999 – Record output power for mid-IR solid state laser (DARPA/Tri-Service Mid IR II Laser)
1996 – First in-flight destruction of short-range artillery rocket (Nautilus)
1995 – World-record chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) efficiencies
1992 – Record brightness for solid state laser in near-infrared
1991 – First megawatt-class laser engineered for space operations (Alpha)
1980 – First megawatt-class chemical laser (MIRACL)
1978 – First shoot down of missile in flight by laser (Navy ARPA Chemical Laser)
1973 – First high energy (>100 kW) chemical laser (Baseline Demonstration Laser)
1970 – High energy laser research begins at Northrop Grumman

http://www.st.northropgrumman.com/ca...iew/first.html

As well as these....
http://www.afrlhorizons.com/Briefs/Sept01/DE0108.html
http://www.space.com/spacenews/archi...ch_090203.html
http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapo...tems/THEL.html
http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/miracl.htm
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/asat/miracl.htm
http://cndyorks.gn.apc.org/yspace/ar...d/ray_guns.htm
http://cryptome.quintessenz.at/mirror/miracl-asat.htm

YellowFever · 11-02-2006, 03:04 AM

Thanks for the explanation, highsea.
And thanks for the links momma.

urmomma158 · 11-02-2006, 15:58 PM

No prob Yellowfever always there to help someone in need especially a fellow asian (im a south asian(indian)).Anyways if you got any questions highsea can answer them he's the aerospace/sensor expert here .

11-01-2006, 17:36 PM	#3 (permalink)
YellowFever Contributor Join Date: 07-17-06 Location: In front of my computer...duh! Posts: 502	How far are we from... I know about as much about lasers as I know about my wife's state of mind during PMS (which is about nil) so let me ask someone on this board... How far are we from perfecting this technology and shrinking it down enough to incorporate it into a "gun cannon" of a modern fighter? (Sorry for the question, but I really love the Colonel Viper from the original Battlestar Galactica series. ) __________________ ...If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space!

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11-02-2006, 03:04 AM	#10 (permalink)
YellowFever Contributor Join Date: 07-17-06 Location: In front of my computer...duh! Posts: 502	Thanks for the explanation, highsea. And thanks for the links momma.

11-02-2006, 15:58 PM	#11 (permalink)
urmomma158 the real plastic *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 03-05-06 Location: NJ Turnpike Posts: 938 Country:	No prob Yellowfever always there to help someone in need especially a fellow asian (im a south asian(indian)).Anyways if you got any questions highsea can answer them he's the aerospace/sensor expert here .

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