Sci-Fi Weapons to Join US Arsenal?

marct22 writes to tell us CNet is reporting that the next weapons coming out of the US arsenal could be stepping right off the pages of science fiction to be there. From the article: "By the end of this year, the Air Force plans to conduct a first, fully loaded test flight of its Airborne Laser, a jumbo jet packed with gear designed to shoot down enemy missiles half a world away, at the speed of light. The ABL also packs a megawatt-class punch--it's not exactly your garden-variety laser pointer."

Half a world away?

[afaik_ianal]

[...] designed to shoot down enemy missiles half a world away, at the speed of light

That's a pretty impressive feat. Does it shoot the laser straight through the Earth's core? Or have they managed to get the jumbo to fly at the speed of light?

Garden variety?

[jollyroger1210]

"it's not exactly your garden-variety laser pointer."

Wait, Laser pointers grow in gardens?? THAT, is a plant I would grow.

just like that other one....

Re:Half a world away?

[DurendalMac]

I think the bigger question is this: Can they mount those frickin' laserbeams on sharks?

WOW!!!!!!!11one

[Anonymous Coward]

shooting a laser at the speed of light!?!?!?1 Wow, that's AMAZING! i never thought that lasers could go at the speed of light!!!one1

Garden Variety laser?

[the_skywise]

So... this isn't something I should use as a cat toy?

Warning

[Lendrick]

As with all "Class 200000" laser products, care should be taken to avoid looking directly into the laser. Do not point the Airborne Laser into other people's eyes or stare into the beam.

Re:Half a world away?

[Anonymous Coward]

Or more likely, they could be floating mirrors up in space...

So, just make your missles out of mirrors, easy.

Re:Half a world away?

[Janitha]

Date 2012. In before: Enemies are now coating their missiles with silver and giving each of them a mirror polish, and China to build the great mirror of China.

1.21 gigawatts

[Akaihiryuu]

But can they do 1.21 gigawatts. If they could, it would make the beam go back in time and destroy the missile before it was ever launched!

Re:Sci Fi

[0racle]

I find your lack of faith disturbing.

Re:1.21 gigawatts

[dteichman2]

...and all they'd need is a Flux capacitor!

Re:Say what?

[0racle]

Well it is a small world after all.

Jiffy Pop

[aaronaskew]

Lazlo, call me for the coordinates [imdb.com] of Professor Hathaway's new house.

Eh..?

[Anonymous Coward]

Just what indeed IS a garden variety laser pointer?

I mean, if you just wanted to point out flowers, you'd normally use your finger.

Re:Off topic: Slashdot's policy on censorship

[afaik_ianal]

> I think the bigger question is this: Can they mount those frickin' laserbeams on sharks?
Does slashdot have a policy on censorship?

Yeah - any time anyone says "frickin'", it automatically converts it to "frickin'"

Re:Half a world away?

[Cheapy]

Nope, it stimulates sharks with friggin' lasers on their heads to shoot the missiles down.

The world is 70% covered with water y'know.

Re:Garden Variety laser?

[MustardMan]

That all depends on whether or not you like cats

Caution

[TCQuad]

Wait, Laser pointers grow in gardens?? THAT, is a plant I would grow.

Do not look directly at garden with remaining eye.

Re:1.21 gigawatts

[Fnkmaster]

It's not gigawatts, it's jigawatts!

Jigga, watt?

Re:Mega Watts are easy, and misleading.

[Jerf]

Damn it, 5.39e-44 seconds.

Sigh, mod me to oblivion on that. I deserve it.

Re:Mega Watts are easy, and misleading.

[waterwingz]

Sounds like a job better suited to the new Airbus 380. No ... wait .. that's not made by Boeing or any other US defence contractor. Darn.

Re:Warning

[Beryllium Sphere(tm)]

"Do not look into ABL with remaining head"

safety for the masses, spare a few

[icepick72]

So what happens if a bird or sky-diver gets in the way? At worst, will it maybe delay the laser's ability to blow up the missle for only a second or so? Then I still feel safe ... as long as I'm not sky-diving.

Re:Off topic: Slashdot's policy on censorship

[online-shopper]

Fuck no.

Re:Half a world away?

[adolfojp]

Sir, we at S.P.E.C.T.R.E [wikipedia.org] would like to pursue your clever idea and require your services immediately. Our men will pick you up first thing in the morning.

Ernst Stavro Blofeld

Re:Half a world away?

[Slithe]

Maybe they are trying to reduce the spread of bird flu?

Re:1.21 gigawatts

[Anthony Boyd]

Jigga, watt?

Jigga, please!

Re:Overcoming countermeasures?

[overunderunderdone]

The article does not explain how reinforcing the casing or rotating the missile so it takes longer to heat effect the performance of the laser.

I recall a General being asked this question in a news conference a while back. He said something to the effect that spinning the missile would make the missile immune to the laser to roughly the same degree that a spinning ballerina is immune to a machine gun.

Re:Half a world away?

[I_Love_Pocky!]

I saw that movie. It was called Spys Like Us.

It's like lasing a stick of dynamite...

[StringBlade]

Alls you'd need is a spinning mirror and a tracking system and you could vaporize a human target from space!!

Popcorn anyone?