Coming soon: Anti missile laser

[Meeker Morgan]

Any day now we'll really be ready to meet the Soviet threat.

BMD Watch: Boeing laser beam hits target
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20060808-045956-7763r

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Boeing and the U.S. Air Force say they have achieved major progress in the development of a system to use mirrors to shoot laser beams at missiles.

In a statement Monday, Boeing said it and the Air Force had successfully redirected a laser beam to a target using their Aerospace Relay Mirror System, or ARMS.

The demonstration, conducted recently at U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory facilities at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., used a half-scale version of a system that ultimately could be packaged and carried to high altitudes on airships, long-endurance aircraft or spacecraft, Boeing said.

--- SNIP ---

What a cool toy. What better way to spend umpty-ump billion dollars?

:mad:

[MrCoffee]

1. So the anti-laser missile can't be far behind, right?

[Guaranteed]

7. ROFL nt

[Posteritatis]

15. And the laser-missile auntie is just a few steps behind! (nt)

[Ian David]

2. Where's my flying car? n/t

[whosinpower]

3. Reminds me of

austin powers evil enemy with a deadly LAAAZZZZEEERRRRRR.

[Cush]

4. isn't this a better system than using another missle?

[Selatius]

8. I would say probably

I would say it would take more effort to direct a missile onto another missile than it would be to lay a laser beam in front of an incoming missile.

[Sherman A1]

5. Is this the thing mounted on the 747?

Or is that a different boondoggle project?

[Guaranteed]

6. Just like Spies Like Us! Can I be Dan Akroyd? nt

[pointblank]

9. Why dont you gentlemen have a pepsi?

[mom cat]

10. And just how soon will these lasers be able to target YOU from space?

If you are not scared yet, then see a shrink.

[kurth]

11. Will this work with a laser car wash?

Just wondering.

[tocqueville]

12. that means mirror-ceramics coated missiles

end of story until more energy is put into the system.

[BushOut06]

13. Just make sure they don't cross the streams - n/t

n/t

[PFunk]

14. Sure it works. But....

...from what I've read so far about it that thing's an engergy hog. And has just enough chemical fuel for around 5 shots. Plus it's not fast enough operational wise to hit multible targets in succession due to things like recharge time. So it's far from a perfect solution.