UK's DragonFire laser proves combat readiness with high-speed drone kills

[Squid Surprise]

If it wasn't possible, why did it already work in testing?
I don't understand your skepticism when the Dragonfire laser has already proven combat readiness with real-world tests. It works. The end.

It worked on slower drones that may have been fragile and not moving erratically…

 

[thbaseer]

It's good to see someone finally got this to work. The US had test lasers on a couple of aircraft and a frigate in the 1970's It just supprises me that it took 50 years to make it practical.

There's video from the last couple years from the US Navy or something using a remotely-operated frigate-mounted laser to destroy some stuff on a raft and take out a drone maybe. I don't remember exactly, but it's cool. Easy to find through a web search.

 

[PurpaFur]

It worked on slower drones that may have been fragile and not moving erratically…

Was this specified by the company? I must have missed it.

 

[Squid Surprise]

Was this specified by the company? I must have missed it.

The article stated their speeds… as for the rest…. Note my use of the word “may”…

 

[wiyosaya]

It's good to see someone finally got this to work. The US had test lasers on a couple of aircraft and a frigate in the 1970's It just supprises me that it took 50 years to make it practical.

The US has been actively developing such a system for a long time. It has evolved into phase-conjugated fiber lasers and the test referenced in this article shot down a cruise missile. https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...ater-advancements-in-directed-energy-weapons/

Its power requirements are low enough that there are versions of it that are mounted on Humvee's. https://spectrum.ieee.org/military-wants-laserarmed-humvees-to-shoot-down-drones

 

[wiyosaya]

Was this specified by the company? I must have missed it.

Fast moving targets are no problem. Cruise missiles and tank shells are among targets shot down by similar laser weapons. https://www.msn.com/en-us/technolog...weapon-dubbed-helios-from-warship/ar-AA1yoyfA

 

[PurpaFur]

Fast moving targets are no problem. Cruise missiles and tank shells are among targets shot down by similar laser weapons. https://www.msn.com/en-us/technolog...weapon-dubbed-helios-from-warship/ar-AA1yoyfA

That's what I've been saying; it's been falling on deaf ears unfortunately.

 

[Squid Surprise]

That's what I've been saying; it's been falling on deaf ears unfortunately.

Fast moving targets that move erratically though… that’s what your ears have fallen deaf to…

 

[PurpaFur]

Fast moving targets that move erratically though… that’s what your ears have fallen deaf to…

You have no evidence that the laser would be unable to shoot down an erratically moving object. So why argue it?

 

[Squid Surprise]

You have no evidence that the laser would be unable to shoot down an erratically moving object. So why argue it?

You have no evidence that it would… so why argue back?

 

[PurpaFur]

You have no evidence that it would… so why argue back?

So far, I'm the only one that's provided actual statistics and calculations to support my theory. While it's certainly not hard evidence, it's a whole lot more than I've seen from an opposing view thus far.

 

[Squid Surprise]

So far, I'm the only one that's provided actual statistics and calculations to support my theory. While it's certainly not hard evidence, it's a whole lot more than I've seen from an opposing view thus far.

The opposing view was basically that there's no evidence that it will work... and yours is that there's no evidence that it won't... Guess it's a matter of whether you believe or not... Either way, I'd still be hesitant to trust any military news from a website...