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US Navy’s first laser weapon cleared for combat, blows up a boat, a small plane (video)

Earlier in the year, the US Navy deployed its first combat-ready laser weapon system in the Persian Gulf — and now, after some field testing, we have a glorious video of the laser being used to blow up (unmanned) boats and drones. I’m happy to report that laser weapons are as awesome as you may have hoped — even if they don’t look quite like the beam weapons from Star Wars or Star Trek.

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extremetech.com
Grap3477d ago

Yah great a new metal to kill people with like we haven't enough wepons already.

WeedyOne3477d ago

I think I saw this video like a year or so ago... Would have been cool if they had shot it at night, maybe you could have seen the laser.

SouthClaw3477d ago

Yeah doesn't really show anything. Can't tell if it even works. Funny how they release this after another nation (I think china?) announced it has a laser cannon

ChrisW3477d ago

What the video doesn't show is that it's not an instant explosion. The laser works by heating up the target. The further away an object is, the more distorted the focus becomes and thus takes longer to heat up something to the point of it burning or blowing up.

Also, if it was truly allowed for combat in the Persian Gulf, that means the high humidity and dust from the deserts aren't considered a factor or problem anymore. Which if I recall correctly, that was the only reason why it wasn't cleared for combat when it was first debuted a year or so ago.

Blasphemy3477d ago

oh man can only imagine what this would be like in the form of a gun or sniper rifle. disintegrating people's heads and the enemy has no idea where it came from.

cl19833477d ago

I wonder what the effective combat range is on this type of weapon.

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70°

James Webb Space Telescope finds 'extremely red' supermassive black hole growing

The supermassive black hole is 40 million times as massive as the sun and powers a quasar that existed 700 million years after the Big Bang.

70°

15 Tips & Settings to Get the Most Out of Vision Pro

Vision Pro is here and it’s a surprisingly capable device. Apple has also loaded the headset with a ton of options and features that aren’t obvious at first glance.

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roadtovr.com
70°

Odysseus mission to be cut short after moon lander's sideways touchdown

Engineers expect to lose contact with the private US moon lander Odysseus on Tuesday, cutting short the mission after its sideways touchdown last week.

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news.sky.com