The Army's 8-Wheeled Laser Truck Can Burn Mortars, Drones Right Out Of The Sky
/
0 Comments
The High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD) contracted by Boeing, was tested at White Sands Missile Range and confirms the capability of a mobile laser weapon system to counter rockets, artillery, mortars, UAVs, and reconnaissance sensors mounted on UAVs.
The beam control system (BCS) is a dome-shaped turret that extends above the roof of a 500-horsepower Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT). The beam director rotates 360-degrees and uses mirrors to point and focus the beam on a target.
The laser beam moves at approximately 186,000 miles per second, the speed of light, and hits targets with unprecedented precision.
The recent testing utilized a 10 kW class laser which will be upgraded to an 100 kW class laser in subsequent demonstrations.
This joint project is entering its seventh year with a 2013 fiscal year budget of a staggering $12.4 million.
"The system is being validated by the United States Army and they will determine when its ready for the battlefield," wrote Dexter Henson of Boeing's Strategic Missile & Defense Systems.
Earlier this year, the Navy announced plans to deploy a laser weapon system on board USS Ponce by 2014. [via]
