Jun 12
Apr 09
When do we see lasers in action? Well, most of the time, lasers are depicted in science fiction movies sometime in the far off future, where mankind has explored the galaxies far and wide, bringing along with them their sense of adventure and warfare (it is inevitable, as the entire universe is atrophying, so resisting conflict would be futile), and in a case of self-defense (or offense for some), a quick laser shot would do the trick nicely. Star Trek has their phasers, while the X-Wings in the Star Wars universe will see lasers shot from the tips of the S-Foils. The thing is, when will such high tech warfare and weaponry arrive on planet earth? It seems that the answer is “in the right here and now”, where the US Navy has already received its very own kind of laser cannon that has made short work of drones bobbing away in a distance, and said laser cannons can be fitted to active warships.
The US Navy will obviously start to fit their own ships that sail the seven seas with lasers, touting that this represents the future of warfare. Also known as the Laser Weapon System or Laws for short, it has seen action in testing areas, shooting down drones, and considering how it relies on electricity to fire, it costs under $1 per shot – which should be as efficient in disabling a small vessel on the sea, and when you compare it to a $475,000 Sidewinder missile, it makes a whole lot more economical sense to implement Laws throughout their fleet, no?
Interestingly enough, the prototype is not expensive either, where it costs less than $40 million to make, which is a drop in the ocean that the US call their defense budget. It will be installed aboard the USS Ponce, where said vessel has been assigned to the status of a floating base in the Middle East, although this is set to happen sometime after October this year. The Navy has hope that incoming missiles will be unable to outmanoeuvre a highly accurate laser beam that is fired at the speed of light, and for the controller, this could very well be a video game of sorts, although real lives are at stake.
Source
[ US Navy gets laser cannon of their own copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Jan 29
Natural Tilt-Shift Effect Turns the Biggest Warship in the World Into a Tiny Model
Posted in: Today's Chili
I love this photo of the USS John C. Stennis nuclear supercarrier. It looks like a tiny model thanks to the F-18’s exhaust fumes, which distort the air above part of the deck and turns the image into a bit of a tilt-shift photo. More »
Jan 04
This image is so unreal that it feels like a sci-fi illustration more than a photo. It looks like part of a spaceship—perhaps some structure from an Imperial Star Destroyer—instead of the 1,000-ton deckhouse of the new destroyer USS Zumwalt. More »
Oct 29
A battleship or aircraft carrier with laser guns? This sounds right out of a science fiction movie, but that age of naval warfare could very well happen in just a couple of years’ time if the Navy has their way. Basically, the US Navy’s plan for “directed energy” (their slang for laser cannons) is said to be two years away from reality, at least according to Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder, the chief of the Office of Naval Research. This is definitely a huge step forward, considering how earlier estimates from Klunder’s laser technicians point towards a four year time window.
Klunder continued, “We’re well past physics. We’re just going through the integration efforts,” Klunder continued. Hopefully, that tells you we’re well mature, and we’re ready to put these on naval ships.”
The whole thing that remains would be whether the naval vessel’s power requirements will be able to integrated the directed energy system or railgun system, and the US Navy will remain on the cutting edge of the world’s naval powers. Something tells me that burning coal is not going to make the cut, and nuclear power will have a very strong say in the scheme of things.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Octavia robot aids firefighters in times of crisis, Navy does the underwater Roomba now,
Oct 28
Advances in unmanned military tools and vehicles have come on leaps and bounds, but, until now, we haven’t seen a weapon firing drone operating in the seas. A recent test taking part offshore near Maryland saw several missiles launched from a new remote-controlled inflatable-hulled ship. While the Navy has used drones before for mine clearing and other defensive tasks, the small boat (similar to that pictured above) is the first experiment to involve true offensive capabilities. The almost zodiac-like craft has been an ongoing project over recent years, and contains a fully automated system which the Navy calls a “Precision Engagement Module” which uses an Mk-49 mounting with a dual missile launcher manufactured by Rafael. The hope is that such vehicles could patrol the coastline, or serve as a first defense against pirates, and other such small, fast-moving seafaring dangers. If you want to catch it in action, head past the break for the video, but don’t be fooled. While it might look like a series of misses, the Navy claims this is just a trick of the camera angle, with all six missiles apparently making contact.
Continue reading US Navy tests first 11-meter missile-firing sea drone (video)
Filed under: Robots, Transportation
US Navy tests first 11-meter missile-firing sea drone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Oct 2012 05:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
Wired | 
Rafael | Email this | Comments
Oct 19
Beautiful timelapses and awesome angles filmed with GoPros inside F-18 cockpits. That’s what you will find in this video filmed by the men and women of the US Navy. I’m amazed at the skill of these people. It starts slow, but keep watching and it soon gets awesome. Worth of a Top Gun reboot. More »
Oct 05
Would You Rather Be a Pilot for the US Navy or the US Air Force? [Chatroom]
Posted in: Today's Chili
When I was a kid I dreamed of being a jet fighter pilot. Too much Battle of Britain, Tora! Tora! Tora! and Star Wars. My doubt always was: do I want to be a pilot for the Air Force or the Navy? It’s a good old rivalry and there are arguments to be made for both parts. More »
Oct 03
How the US Navy Uses the Largest Hospital Ships In the World to Help Everyone [Monster Machine]
Posted in: Today's Chili
This is the USNS Comfort next to a Nimitz-class supercarrier, the biggest war ship in the world. Together with its twin, the USNS Mercy, they are the largest hospital ships on the oceans, the second largest hospital in the US and the fifth largest on the planet. More »
Sep 17
How a Classic Deep Sea Robot will Sweep 98 Percent of the Ocean Floor [Monster Machines]
Posted in: Today's Chili
Over the course of 4,400 dives, Alvin has done just about everything. Its recovered lost nukes, explored the ruins of the HMS Titanic, and upturned our understanding of the deep sea with the discovery of hydrothermal vents bustling with unimaginable forms of life. But after 48 years of service, the venerable ROV is starting to show its age, and is quickly being eclipsed by newer models. More »
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.