Well, the only problem I can see with laser weapons would be any kind of fog, rain, etc. That would drastically cut the range of the weapons down to near nothing. Of course it depends on the type of laser too. They are probably using something more advanced then a focus laser. Heh. Chemical laser I would suspect. Still, I don't see a way around the problem with it being refracted by atmospheric distortions. :hmm:

Anyway, aside from the rather nasty blindess effects of laser, it would be virtually useless as a fatal kind of weapon. The heat of it would just cauterize any wounds. You'd have to hit them somewhere in the brain. Maybe the heart, not sure if that would be fatal though. I suppose if you used a big enough one, you could either vaporize them or light them on fire, like the old ant and the magnifying glass. That would be interesting. :dead:

Not really. Blindness should be enough to eliminate enemies, killing is not needed, just make them unable to fight.

Cauterizing wounds? Depends on the laser. Strong continuous-wave IR lasers like CO2 lasers would do that, but fast pulsed lasers, especially UV excimer lasers can behave differently. Such lasers can deliver energy very quickly, vaporizing a surface layer without giving much time for surrounding material to heat up (which is why they are used for cutting heat-sensitive materials).

Wouldn't an affective form of defence be the same tiles they use on the shuttles for re-entry. Ok, it wouldn't last forever but it'd give you enough time to return fire and/or move position.

Or have everyone run around with giant mirrors :P

Mmm. Fun.

High power military lasers are real.


ABL Testing Boosts Confidence in Ability to Shoot Down Ballistic Missiles
6 December 2005
Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry “Trey� Obering III, director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), said today that the Airborne Laser’s (ABL) megawatt-class chemical laser had successfully completed its 2005 “Knowledge Point� of firing long enough with sufficient power to prove it is technically capable of destroying boost-phase ballistic missiles.
Since the series of tests began on Nov. 10, 2004, the Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL) has been fired more than 70 times, beginning with a burst of a fraction of a second and increasing until a firing on Dec. 6 exceeded the full duration goal at a level that is believed to be capable of destroying a ballistic missile during its boost phase, or within the first few minutes after it is launched.
Although the precise duration was not announced for security reasons, the firing time surpassed goal ABL engineers wanted to reach to achieve the second MDA Knowledge Point for the year.
On Aug. 1, MDA announced the successful completion of the first Knowledge Point – the conclusion of an eight-month long series of flight tests of the ABL aircraft, YAL-1A, which demonstrated the performance of the ABL’s sophisticated battle management and beam control/fire control systems.
The ABL COIL is composed of six interconnected modules, each as large as a sport utility vehicle turned on end. Each module weighs about 6,500 pounds and has 3,600 separate parts. When fired through a window in the aircraft’s nose turret, it produces enough energy in a five-second burst to power a typical household for more than one hour.
Currently, the aircraft is undergoing modifications to its aft section at the Boeing facility in Wichita, Kan., readying it for installation of the COIL beginning in 2006. Following a lengthy series of ground and air tests of all its complicated systems, ABL will begin additional testing that will include the planned intercept of a ballistic missile target before the end of the decade.

More news articles below:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6473144/

More info here:

http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism...7-042543-8671r

http://www.gizmag.com/go/2809/

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/...l/mission.html

http://www.missilethreat.com/systems/abl_usa.html

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?C...7-dbe6b82cff6e

http://www.photonics.com/spectra/app...psAirborne.gif

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/media...0/14714975.jpg

http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/...-0000p-009.jpg

http://www.boeing.com/special/abl/pi...dres/abl30.jpg

http://www.airbornelaser.com/pics-cl...ar3_shryne.jpg

More pics here:

http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices...ips/index.html