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| USS Ponce |
It's not quite the equivalent of the lasers that you see flying through space in the movies, oh wait, yes it is! It has been announced that the Navy Warship U.S.S. Ponce, currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, has been equipped with a laser weapon known as LaWS (Laser Weapons System, cleverly), that is capable of destroying targets with a pulse of light and heat.
There are several advantages to this: One, the cost of firing the weapon is very cheap. As the article notes, the pulse will cost about $1 in electricity, as opposed to standard ordinance which can run thousands of dollars each. It's also easier to maintain and more flexible for close-range, small targets. There are concerns as well. The biggest one of all is how it will perform in adverse weather. It has acquired 100% of its test targets so far, but weather hasn't been incorporated in to the test plan yet. Additionally, it is a short-range weapon, and it hasn't been proven against fast moving, more distant targets like fighter jets.
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| This is the actual laser weapon that will be deployed. |
This technology isn't anything new. The military has been working on this kind of thing for a long time, and I can't imagine anyone is surprised by that. As the linked article states, the plan to equip lasers on aircraft was unsuccessful, and those cost over $1 billion each, whereas this laser was developed as part of a $40 million project. Additionally, development continues on very-high powered lasers that will do severe damage to targets that are fast-moving and/or far away. It's known as the free-electron laser, and the Navy wants you to know all about it!
Below is a brief video from CBS news about its operation.
Below is a brief video from CBS news about its operation.
On the conventional-weapon front, development continues on the rail-gun, which fires an inert projectile at a velocity exceeding the speed of sound, around 5,500 mph, doing massive damage to whatever it impacts. A very brief video of that is below.
The morality or potential misuse of these types of developments is beyond what I wanted to talk about here. It is clearly a concern, and I know there are people who think we shouldn't be developing weapons of war, while others think it is a necessity. I'll leave that up to you. It's not the type of thing that would likely fall into enemy hands anytime soon, but it is a significant advancement in military technology. Even our robots are getting better.
A couple of other points I should make for clarification purposes: Those laser beams you see flying from spaceships in movies? You wouldn't see them either. And laser is actually an acronym for 'Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation,' so technically it's not laser, it's LASER.
A couple of other points I should make for clarification purposes: Those laser beams you see flying from spaceships in movies? You wouldn't see them either. And laser is actually an acronym for 'Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation,' so technically it's not laser, it's LASER.
Whether these weapons are a necessity or not, I do see the continuous advancement of technology as a necessity for humanity to keep moving forward. Just like Moore's law, we also should expect twice as fast and amazing new military technologies every 'x' number of years in order to stay competitive with the rest of the world. The enemy of great is good, we are great in our military capabilities but if we stay asleep on them we will become just 'good' and someone else will become great or greater than us. On that note I also believe that our military budget should be carefully and respectfully controlled so it doesn't take any more funds that our government can provide it with.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little disappointed by the fact that I won't be able to see the laser beams like in the movies, but I hope, someone will invent also a way that we can see them so we can enjoy watching them (I mean, without the colors of the lasers who could ever tell who is winning in the movies? no fun).
I think the laser weapon for the Navy ship is a great idea. It is good because of how low the cost is. I think before the equipped a ship with the weapon they should have tested it in all types of situations. If these are put on ships and we enter into a war, ships need to be able to defend themselves from jet fighters. This weapon is not able to hit that fast moving target. The whole point of this weapon is to have it for when it is needed. If the laser is not able to hit far away/fast moving targets it can hinder a ship rather than help. Developing weapons of war is a necessary thing just as trying to keep advancing technology is necessary. It is a weapon that as potential but it needs to still be worked on before we start supplying our Navy ships with it.
ReplyDelete-Stephanie Theobald
Thanks for clarifying that it's LASER and not laser. I have to agree with Cesar, wether we need this technology or not, it's something that was bound to happen sooner or later. Technology all around the world is constantly advancing and we cannot get left behind, as there could be current or potential enemy who could attack us and it would be difficult for us to protect ourselves if we did not have the capabilities of understanding certain technology. If I heard correctly, there is going to be a long-term benefit of using this weapon because of how inexpensive one shot is.The commander indicated it cost less than a dollar to shot this weapons. This is crazy! Currently we spend thousands, millions, and billions of dollars on weapons, this would save the government a lot money that they really need, although the start up costs are high. I do think this technology could potentially change the war field with the advanced weapons everyone is starting to use.
ReplyDeleteThis article leads me to reflect on my trip to Pearl Harbor for Christmas last year. There they have a memorial site set up for submarines with a list of the crew lost and the story of how. It was astonishing to sit there and read how many of these submarines went down due to missiles misfiring or by friendly fire due to inaccuracy or short range targets. While this laser has been explored for use on ships and aircraft, who’s to say it won’t eventually be tested underwater. No lives should have to be lost due to misfires and the more technology advances, the more we can prevent this. This laser will assist our military to be more accurate and most importantly, be safe. As the defenders of our country we want them to be accurate and safe; it’s critical to our success as a nation. As tax payers, reduced costs are a benefit as well. Ultimately let’s not forget, these service members have families that want them to return home.
ReplyDeleteThis was a pretty interesting article. I think that this is the future of where military warfare is heading. The startup cost is high, yet this seems even out compared to missile expenses. Any type of advancement if warfare that can bring precise accuracy is worth spending money on. This can potentially help us develop different types of ammunition we use on other military weapons. I think this technology is heading in the right direction. It also seems a bit simpler to use. I wonder if other countries are coming up with the same type of equipment. This can bring an end of an era to traditional methods of warfare.
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