The U.S. military's laser-light show
- July 27, 2007 3:30 PM |
- By Paul Jay
by Paul Jay, CBCNews.ca
Two projects receiving funding in the United States are literally turning lasers and lights into weapons.
On Monday the Boeing Company announced it has been awarded a U.S. Army contract to begin developing the initial phase for "a truck-mounted laser weapon system that destroys rockets, artillery shells and mortar rounds."
The objective of the program, says Boeing, is "to demonstrate that a mobile, solid-state laser weapon system can effectively counter rocket, artillery and mortar projectiles."
Meanwhile, the Wired blog Threat Level reported Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security is funding the powerful LED flashlight that uses bursts of light "to temporarily blind, disorient and incapacitate people."
As Wired reports:
The LED Incapacitator uses a range-finder to measure the distance to a target's eyes and then unleashes continually changing, multi-color light pulses that both blind and disorient the person. Intelligent Optical Systems, a small company in Torrance, CA, is developing the weapon with money from Homeland Security's Science and Technology division, which thinks it's possible to have the weapon deployed to cops, National Guard troops and border agents by 2010.
It makes us wistful for the days when the only danger from exposure to a combination of lasers and lights was perhaps intoxication from, ahem, nearby fumes.
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- Tara Kimura
is a multimedia producer for CBCNews.ca.
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Comments (11)
..."a truck-mounted laser weapon system that destroys rockets, artillery shells and mortar rounds."
Hey, MA! I WANT ME ONE O'THEM THINGS FO' CHRISTMAS! It's a laser what gone shoot MISSYLES!!
Seriously: enough with the missles.
If something small enough to fit in a truck can be used in the field to help reduce or even neutralize artillery bombardment on troops or short-range missile attacks against targets such as command positions and civilian targets then hurry up and design it already!
Wow, this is some pretty impressive stuff. Zapping rockets and artillery shells has its merits but here's what I'd like to see first: some piece of technological wonder (or better training?) that will minimize, or better yet, eliminate instances of friendly fire from US troops. Better radios...descriptions of Canadian Armed Forces uniforms...I don't know, something. I'm just sick of hearing how our Canadian soldiers are being killed by US friendly fire. Can anyone do anything about this please? Anyone?
Let's not forget that any system being developed in the name of defence and lifesaving, which is capable of destroying rockets and mortar rounds, could just as easily be used as an offencive weapon.
Ah gee golly, it dodent caume in my fav-o-rite colur pur-pel
Seriously though, it;s about time they start making these things.. still waiting for my lightsabre to be completed by Boeing
MY lightsabre will come with a built-in DVD drive! :D
I still find it sad that the world is in the state it's currently in... and while I agree that lazers beat out missile-seeking-missiles... I'm still worried that it will lead to more and more accidents.
But how will this laser (a la Flash Gordon) help fight the evil "terrorists" who have no missiles, aircraft, warships or even artillery to speak of? The answer is of course that it really won’t. It is however, a flashy new gun that plays on the defensive angle as opposed to the offensive so it is great for military PR and wets the appetites of tech hungry political hawks and civilian bystanders not to mention being another project to keep the American military industrial machine humming.
And here I was thinking that the lack of decent US health care should be a federal priority. Oh well, I’m sure a truck mounted laser gun and special flashlights along with hundreds of other projects is just as important. So long as we’re all protected from the aliens of Beta-12 after all!
Joe, thank you for nearly making me wet myself at the office. XD In all seriousness, though, you are right. Heck, can't you get toys these days that basically do the same thing? I mean, not on the same scale of course... but the whole flashing lights and 'lazer' action.
Is life really beginning to become a game of battle?
While I have to agree with Joe that health care is more important than yet another less-than-lethal weapons technology (no matter how much I want to be able to set my flashlight on "stun"), the fact of the matter is that militants use rockets and mortars all the time. Let's not forget that only about a year ago Israel bombed Lebanon back into the stone age to prevent militants from launching rockets from there. And mortar attacks on crowded markets are a current favorite of militants in Iraq. If those rockets and mortars could be stopped before they impact, say by a laser mounted on the back of a Humvee, a pick-up truck, or a camel, civilian lives could be saved.
Oh, and shame on you, Israel, for attacking Lebanon. If someone gives you a bloody nose, you don’t respond by killing half their family.
Man, Rob... I'd do more research before saying something like that. O_O;;
So thats it folks, Ameri-cuz great response for creating new weaponry, the re-invention of the Mobile Disco!
... now I want a DVD drive my my sabre...Carolyn and her great ideas!