delliejonut Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I have no idea if this is accurate. Just saw it on Reddit. The article. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agusto Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Ha, lasers fighters . That' s so Sci-Fi. But well, why not. The biggest problem with putting lasers on aircraft is the energy source. If they solve this problem, an airborne laser weapon is definately within the realm of possibility. Take a look at this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_YAL-1 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c3k Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 That's been the big deal with the F-35. The technology/metallurgy needed to tap off the turbine shaft and change the rotation 90 degrees for the Marine Corps vertical landing version's lift fan was a big hurdle. Big gear box, light, which can handle the stupendous shaft-horsepower. Oh, the clutch was pretty friggin' important, too. That "tall pole in the tent" talk went on for awhile. Anyhow, if you don't need a lift-fan ('cause you got runways), and you don't need that volume for fuel or ECM or whatnot, then a solid-state laser can get all the juice it needs. Rumor has it that's the reason the air force is no longer keen on the F22. Well, one of the reasons. It'll happen sooner than you think. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delliejonut Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 I thought it was especially interesting that according to the plan, fighters could "refuel" their lasers via tankers, meaning unmanned aircraft could have nearly unlimited operating time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agusto Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 The ultimate AA weapon could be a solar powered geo-stationary satellite with lasers. Thanks to the solar panels it could operate for a nearly unlimited amount of time and it could intercept anything from ICBMs to single man fighters. And it would also be great to vaporize people on the ground without warning or traces left. That would be even nastier than the whole drone-war thing that' s currently going on in Pakistan. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HUSKER2142 Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I have no idea if this is accurate. Just saw it on Reddit. The article. No, sonny, is fantasy 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delliejonut Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 No, sonny, is fantasy Well I do know it's in a nation's interest to release news stories that inflate their own capabilities. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsKb Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 IR laser can be used to blind the seekers of IR missiles, the intensity at the seeker doesn't even have to be particualrly high. When you combine a DIRCM laser with the F-35's RCS reductions you get an aircraft that is very difficult to target. Fighter mounted lasers that can actually destroy things at a useful range are still a while off. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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