Truck-Mounted Laser Guns 370
bl8n8r writes "Boeing has announced a contract with the US Army to develop laser cannons that are to be mounted atop 20-ton trucks for the purpose of shooting down incoming artillery, rockets, mortars, or bombs. The High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator project actually shoots stuff instead of just painting a mark on a target for other armament to hit."
I'm so proud (Score:4, Funny)
Next put them in C-130s, or Jeeps, like Rat Patrol.
They're getting smaller every day. (Score:5, Funny)
Today: Truck-mounted laser.
Tomorrow: Shark-mounted laser.
That's great, but... (Score:5, Funny)
Sweet. (Score:-1, Funny)
Damnit! (Score:5, Funny)
Sharks, I wanted sharks. Is that so difficult?
The adult in me says (Score:5, Funny)
But the kid in me says...
SA-WEEET!!!!!!
Sure... (Score:5, Funny)
In this day and age? (Score:3, Funny)
Oblig. CNC (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Damnit! (Score:3, Funny)
So will this be the demise of their ... (Score:5, Funny)
Dude... (Score:4, Funny)
Yeah, sure, we'll probably sad when they end up used to blind baby seals or to violate the Geneva convention (again), but quit ruining the moment, dammit. You made me misread "cherry truck" as "Cheney truck" and I was afraid I'd get zapped in the face by it.
Re:Sure... (Score:4, Funny)
a girl's got to have her standards
Re:They're getting smaller every day. (Score:1, Funny)
Tomorrow: Shark-mounted laser.
RTFA - The 20-ton truck is actually a shark tank on wheels.
Set lazers from stun... (Score:1, Funny)
Re:The adult in me says (Score:2, Funny)
Peace Activist Has To Admit Barrett
Re:The adult in me says (Score:5, Funny)
You are no longer of any use to me (Score:2, Funny)
Dual use? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How do clouds of popcorn change this? (Score:4, Funny)
Hey, it works when fired from a satellite! [imdb.com]
Re:That's great, but... (Score:5, Funny)
Dr. Evil: You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads! Now evidently my cycloptic colleague informs me that that cannot be done. Ah, would you remind me what I pay you people for, honestly? Throw me a bone here! What do we have?
Number Two: Sea Bass.
Dr. Evil: [pause] Right.
Number Two: They're mutated sea bass.
Dr. Evil: Are they ill tempered?
Number Two: Absolutely.
Dr. Evil: Oh well, that's a start.
Car Wars! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:How do clouds of popcorn change this? (Score:5, Funny)
So would this be called Jiffy Chaff?
Obligatory (Score:3, Funny)
Popcorn for everyone!!!
Re:They're getting smaller every day. (Score:4, Funny)
Tomorrow afternoon: Large tank of water in the back of a truck to carry shark-mounted lasers.
Quake 3? (Score:5, Funny)
Fess up (Score:5, Funny)
Who wrote that summary, George Bush?
Re:Very useful (defensive) weapon (Score:4, Funny)
Boeing are a member of neither RIAA nor MPAA. What's the problem?
Comment removed (Score:3, Funny)
Slashup Mashup (Score:4, Funny)
Boeing has developed a new squirrel mounted laser. Lasers have been mounted to squirrels and released on the Iranian border. Unfortunatly the squirrels were all captured by iranian police, but not after they fried their eyes out.
Cost? $50 million nuts.
dogs (Score:3, Funny)
i need one of these for the dogs next door.
Re:They're getting smaller every day. (Score:4, Funny)
This is cool? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:You are no longer of any use to me (Score:4, Funny)
Let's do the math, just coz I'm bored.
The specific heat capacity of stainless steel is 500j/Kg and from this site [engineeringtoolbox.com] I'm going to assume the specific heat capacity of the explosive is the same as "sandy clay" (poor assumption, but this is /. and I can't be bothered doing more research) which is 1381j/Kg.
Lets assume a 5Kg mortar is 40% propellant, 30% explosive and 30% shell, and that you don't have to heat the propellant. The specific heat capacity of a 2.5Kg object with a 50/50 mix of steel and clay by weight is given by:
Lets also say we want to heat the thing from ambient (35 degrees Celcius, coz remember we're in the desers of Iraq) to 100 degrees (I have no idea about explosives, despite the fact that I am a Muslim) in order to detonate it.
100 - 35 = 65 degree deltaAssuming that all energy is absorbed evenly, the formula for energy required is:
Given that watts are a measure of joules per second, assuming you have a quarter of a second "paint time" of the laser on the round, your lazer will need to emit:
(Please note: My assumptions are completely bullshit and this figure is probably way off, but it was fun doing them anyway.)
To put this into perspective, a 20g chocolate biscuit yeilds about 2,200 Kj. So really, forget the billion dollar laser program, just start lobbing chocolate biscuits at your enemy.
If this post wasn't bizarre enough, if you lob that chocolate biscuit fast enough at your enemny for e = mc^2 to come into play, then that same chocolate biscuit will yield:
Just sayin'.
Re:When can I get some of this tech? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Dude... (Score:2, Funny)
`/etc/init.d/Afghanistand stop`