German Military Laser

[Megalodon]

Ceramics is the way to go. They're already in use in modern Chobham armor to resist against HEAT weapons. No laser will penetrate ceramic materials that can resist temperatures as hot as the surface of the sun.

Lasers can cut ceramics they can even draw on it, etch it, cut through it. Some are hotter than the sun's core.

[icepac]

Who needs to destroy weapons when all you have to do is destroy retinas?

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Who needs to destroy weapons when all you have to do is destroy retinas?

What will all the macbooks and iPads then use?

[tmetal]

a simple smoke screen would play hell on a laser's beam (visiable or not). dirty up the medium that the beam has to pass through and watch the potential for damage drop dramaticly; then use conventional munitions to destroy the laser tank that is now glowing brighter than a christmass tree in your IR optics due to all the waste heat that builds up from powering and firing such a powerful laser.

[GScholz]

Lasers can cut ceramics they can even draw on it, etch it, cut through it. Some are hotter than the sun's core.

Household and industrial ceramics yes, and we're talking single beam lasers here, not arrays of several lasers like the National Ignition Facility. The largest industrial lasers can generate about 1,000 degrees Kelvin of heat, enough to cut steel and other metals.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

a simple smoke screen would play hell on a laser's beam (visiable or not). dirty up the medium that the beam has to pass through and watch the potential for damage drop dramaticly; then use conventional munitions to destroy the laser tank that is now glowing brighter than a christmass tree in your IR optics due to all the waste heat that builds up from powering and firing such a powerful laser.

Except the laser would detect your missile and destroy it 30 inches off your launch tube.

The nasty thing about laser weapons is that they track and hit incredibly fast - and even if smoke hinders the power enough not to destroy a tank it will surely blow up a warhead.

Think about aimbot. In real life. I wouldn't want to be in the receiving end.

[tmetal]

Except the laser would detect your missile and destroy it 30 inches off your launch tube.

The nasty thing about laser weapons is that they track and hit incredibly fast - and even if smoke hinders the power enough not to destroy a tank it will surely blow up a warhead.

Think about aimbot. In real life. I wouldn't want to be in the receiving end.

does it have a rate of fire that allows it to fire like that? If so, then it is a big leap forward compared to all the previous laser weapon systems that were strong enough to destroy main battle armor.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

does it have a rate of fire that allows it to fire like that? If so, then it is a big leap forward compared to all the previous laser weapon systems that were strong enough to destroy main battle armor.

I don't know about the rate of fire but IF it's ready to fire it can probably track and fire with huge accuracy and incredibly fast.

[tmetal]

Oh I'm certain it can track and destroy an incoming tank round...once...

But the rate of fire for the laser is probably much less than the rate of fire a standard MBT can achieve

For example: the Airborne Laser System (ALS) is the size of a 747 not because the laser itself is that big, but because the heat management systems and the energy storage systems are that big.

Now granted the ALS can get off a handfull of shots each powerfull enough to destroy a missile but that is all possible because of the large energy storage and heat management systems, and once it does deplete it's stored reserves of energy and/or maxes out its heat dumping capabilities it cannot fire for a very long period of time when compared to how fast events can happen on a battlefield. To sum up, laser weapon systems the size of MBTs are absolutely possible, but because of the size limitations of a MBT chassis these laser MBTs will be severely limited in their rate of fire ability or they will require some kind of secondary support vehicle to be hooked up to help make them a viable threat with today's energy storage and heat sink tech.  But who really knows, R&D is happening all the time; maybe a new super high capacity yet physically small energy storage device is right around the corner.

Personally, I think we will start to see laser weapons on the battle field within our lifetime, but they will not be the main assault weapons. Instead they will play a very strong support role. As it is now they are being developed more as anti-air or CWIS type weapon systems, and I think this will be their most viable route.

[zack1234]

If they build a hand held laser would gun owners collect them?

[VonMessa]

If they build a hand held laser would gun owners collect them?

I would use it to cook my steaks...

[RTHolmes]

Rate of Fire for a laser

 

[GScholz]

Powerful lasers can typically only fire in short pulses, needing time to recharge and/or cool down between pulses.

[VonMessa]

Powerful lasers can typically only fire in short pulses, needing time to recharge and/or cool down between pulses.

Well, there goes my laser-cooked steak idea... 

[Megalodon]

Well, there goes my laser-cooked steak idea... 

You could practice tenderizing though....

http://hackaday.com/2011/03/10/youll-shoot-your-eye-out-with-a-1mw-laser-pulse-pistol/