Some kind of big Jumo-laser-plane-weapon
 

LINK

I really don't know what to say about this.
It just looks very impressive and it has something to do with lasers (which are inherently woo).

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1420/...4cf43712_b.jpg

My Eve online addict side of me tells me that its cap usage is to high and the plane will not be able to armor tank for long. :lol: (For those who dont play eve-online Lasers in EvE have very bad cap (energy) issues)

My normal side says cool.

Yeah, cool.

But wouldn't the area covered be very small, and given the speed of warheads, totally ineffectual except on a 1000+ fleet basis?

If it works how Im guessing it does, then it will only work if the laser is small enough, powerful enough and is very accurate at tracking.

They must have a small powerplant in that jumbo!

It'sw not so much the single unit I think would be ineffective, more the whole system, given the warning times on warheads.

Even thirty minutes is pushing it, and there would have to be a lot of these aircraft.

Ahh! I see! yes, you would need sevral in the air at once 24/7.
However I assume the range is only limited by the curve of the earth.

Yeah - thats ABL. I've got some gear on that aircraft.

It works now too. The biggest problem in the past is that its chemical laser used to release such hot gases, it could melt off the verticle stabilizer. It is part of a multi teir system, that also includes THAAD, and specially modified SM Block 2's that have an extra booster to go after ballitic missiles. There is also an infrared launch detector that is part of this system, among other things.

Basically AMerica is creating a shield around itself.

There is some speculation that this system could theoretically target a man size object as well, but I guess we will never know.

-S

This is a weapon to engage ballistic missiles in their boost phase (that is, when the rocket is just leaving the pad and heading on it's way up out of the atmosphere. It does not engage the re-entry warheads, nor does it engage smaller missiles/rockets (like AIM-9 Sidewinders and such. It only is for the "big stuff")). The laser has an extremely long range (over 1,000 miles, I belive) and pinpoint accuracy (according to the reports).

They are to be deployed in one or two-plane groups around ICBM "hotspots" (Like around NK's Rocket-launch area on Korea's eastern coast. It is to be the "second layer of defence" for ICBMs).

The layers being:

Pre: Negotiation, talking.
1: Destroying the rocket while it is still on the ground; first-strike
2: The ABL system to destroy the rocket on it's way up.
3: (possibly still experimental/not fully developed) ABM Satillites in orbit./Ground based, midcourse interceptor rockets.
4: THAAD
5: Patriot Missiles/ABM Standard Missiles
6: Just about anything that can shoot a projectile (or otherwise) upwards in a last-ditch effort.:p

Forgot..

Step 7 - Negotiate! Shout at it!


Didn't know it was for boost phase, that changes things.
Sounds like ChromeDome missions again

It's an interesting development but I have yet to see success rate.

Warning times on the +10000km rockets are 10 minutes or less. The smaller missiles that don't exit the stratosphere can be hit at any time before their trajectory peaks (or at least that's the way I understand it) because they don't use small MIRV's.

Incase anyone cares, their will be multiple ABL's - I think 6 or 7 last time I checked on it. One will be parked off North Korea 24/7 - rotating shifts. The ABL is also in flight refuelable, and will probably be operated in shifts.

-S

Its a chemical laser, meaning that large vats of chemicals when mixed produce the light energy to power the laser. The range is reported in the hundreds of km so the area of coverage is fair. The big sphere on the front is actually the laser turret (output) that can rotate/swivel 200+ degrees up and down and side to side.

The US has been testing it successfully for years, but won't talk about much because nuclear missile defense is top secret. Japan, because of N.Korea's recent belligerant posturing has begun thinking about buying/developing their own.

cool stuff no doubt.

:lol::lol: nice phraseology. I may steal that for a signature at some point :lol:

Replace item 3 with long-range Midcourse interceptors. The U.S. already has a handful or two deployed in Alaska and California

http://www.mda.mil/mdalink/html/basics.html

:know:

Ello Bill! :D
havn't seen you around much recently!