US Army plans laser weapons that can be mounted on almost any vehicle

[u/Stukwan]

https://interestingengineering.com/military/us-army-advances-high-energy-laser-weapons

[u/Jodid0]

When the next generation of soldiers returns home with evaporated corneas from the unrestricted use of class 4 lasers with polarized sunglasses for protection, they'll say the blindness wasn't service-related.

[u/Snake_Staff_and_Star → u/Jodid0]

They'll need to fix it with laser surgery.

[u/dahl_bomii]

How about sharks? Asking for a friend...

[u/KarvenNoob → u/dahl_bomii]

Mount sharks on a vehicle? Doesn't sound reasonable Edit: how about jetpacks?

[u/fluffysmaster → u/KarvenNoob]

That new flying Tesla Roadster with freakin' lasers. With an Optimus robot at the wheel. That would be peak dystopia.

[u/purple_purple_eater9 → u/KarvenNoob]

Don’t give Pete any ideas man

[u/Gentle_Capybara → u/KarvenNoob]

And the Lasersharks with Jetpacks could play cool guitars. Flying Vs and such.

Damn that's the coolest idea ever.

[u/atempestdextre → u/dahl_bomii]

Best we can do is mutated ill-tempered sea bass.

[u/Belyal → u/dahl_bomii]

Beat me to it

[u/saml01 → u/Belyal]

Me too. I hope his back hurts when he wakes up. 

[u/DogsAreOurFriends → u/dahl_bomii]

The Jews in Space would like a word.

[u/Quigleythegreat]

I'm pretty sure this guy with an Altima down the street from me already has these installed as headlights.

[u/DogsAreOurFriends]

The fun part is when it hits a bolt, or a side view mirror, or a piece of broken glass… and blinds every friendly soldier within 50 freedom units who is not wearing goggles

(Former DOD contractor photonics safety officer.)

[u/Endles5Earth → u/DogsAreOurFriends]

Well the military is likely only a few cabinet sessions away from being sponsored by Playboy and Brawndo so why not throw Oakley in the mix for laser pro eyewear, it’s pretty on brand for mil types already

[u/1_________________11 → u/DogsAreOurFriends]

Yeah but you know who cares about soldiers from history we dont.... burn pits, agent orange....

[u/Neither_Cod_992 → u/DogsAreOurFriends]

They know what they signed up for. It’s a risk I’m willing they take.

[u/CallMinimum → u/Neither_Cod_992]

War can not progress without the heaps

[u/Gold_Map_236 → u/DogsAreOurFriends]

Don’t they need a ton of power to run the lasers too?

[u/NegativeSemicolon → u/DogsAreOurFriends]

Honestly good exploit to take out a group of soldiers

[u/Butt-Hole-Cancer-Dr]

This title would have been more impressive without the current administration.

[u/logosobscura]

Yet the cover picture is DragonFire, the system developed for the Royal Navy.

Do we not have any imagery of said system? Who’s the source? Was it Hegseth down the bar at 3am?

[u/MaxHeadroom1986]

The USA is 23 years behind USA in Command and Conquer: Generals. I was doing Gods work, mounting lasers to humvees and tanks in 2003 when I was in middle school. Get good America.

[u/garnett8 → u/MaxHeadroom1986]

Kegsbreath, hire this man!

[u/grayhaze2000]

Okay, we have AI, we have vehicles with lasers, and now we just need to get going on metal skeletons with synthetic skin.

[u/europorn → u/grayhaze2000]

And phased plasma rifles with 40 Watt range.

[u/ProIapsedGoose → u/grayhaze2000]

Don't forget flying cars and lizard people

[u/MountHopeful → u/ProIapsedGoose]

Wait, did I miss lizard people news??

[u/PhotoPhenik → u/grayhaze2000]

The more advanced Terminators eventually were given real skin so siffing guard dogs couldn't tell they were fake people.  

[u/RedditTechAnon → u/grayhaze2000]

If only our premeire expert in the field hadn't pivoted into oceanography and xenology.

[u/Icy-Engineering9020]

Laser weapons are also highly effective against a sectoid invasion force

[u/CombatRedRover → u/Icy-Engineering9020]

At least, before you research the plasma weapons or if you're playing the original game and item limit restrictions really start being a problem for 28 man squads.

[u/West-Vacation8190]

mounts on anything but the extension cord requirements limit mobility somewhat.

[u/throwawaybsme]

Sure... USAF couldn't make one fit on a plane, but sure.

[u/MrDerpGently]

So many people are gonna go blind..

[u/THE_some_guy]

Quick! Somebody get Val Kilmer and 50 gallons of popcorn kernels!

[u/Xolltaur → u/THE_some_guy]

Maybe some student beauticians 

[u/Thiezing]

What if the enemy puts mirrors on their drone? Cool light show?

[u/DogsAreOurFriends → u/Thiezing]

Briefly, followed by scorching. Next shot then transfers energy.

Edit: When I say “shot” think “pulse.”

[u/VonGeisler]

Now that’s what the new Tesla roadster was missing. Fricking lazer beams.

[u/Technical_Anteater45]

meh...lemme know when it fits on a cat

[u/BUT_FREAL_DOE]

I, for one, welcome our new AI laser drone overlords.

[u/Skin4theWin]

So are tactical mirrors gonna be a thing?

[u/Raven_Photography]

Cool. As long as it’s not raining, foggy, cloudy, smoky, misting or any other obscuring atmospheric effect they’ll be great!

[u/pichuguy27]

There is a lot to make fun of the current us military for. But if anyone bothered to read this it’s a development of a modular system that can use lasers to fight against drones. Instead of using specialized vehicles with these systems.

It’s not a bad idea as drones become way more common.

[u/TackyPoints]

A million lawsuits by a million blinded.

[u/jackrabbit323]

That's cool. What new fun ways will we lose wars in the next generation of military?

[u/Here4daKicks]

All I can imagine is the scene from, the ‘95 cinematic masterpiece, Congo where she lasers the killer apes. Now just imagine a bunch of bored Spec-4s, someone is gonna laser their nuts off

[u/roiki11]

Finally a reason for buying the f150.

[u/cheesebot555]

And the power source will be what, a couple AAs?

[u/atlasraven → u/cheesebot555]

Testosterone. It's a good thing we've been checking.

[u/atlasraven]

"Greatest military in the world defeated by fog, rain."

[u/scotchtapeman357 → u/atlasraven]

It's the next logical step, all the cool kids will be doing it

IR filtered windows/windshields coming soon*!

*Maybe

[u/Zolo49]

The plan is to deploy the weapon in the field along with cool Kenny Loggins music and some of that devil's lettuce.

[u/Informal_Process2238 → u/Zolo49]

Gonna take my laser right into the danger zone

[u/Doctor_Amazo]

Cool. They're still not very effective as you need to point them at a target for a bit before you get results, but Im sure someone in the military industrial complex is making oodkes of money from this.

[u/mca1169]

I can see it now, an entire generation of soldiers not knowing that looking at these high powered lasers will permanently damage your eyesight and blind you. of course that is assuming the US Army can think up a decent power and cooling solution for these lasers. at best i could see CWIS style trailer mounted laser systems getting into the field pretty easily powered by a onboard diesel generator. but inside of all vehicles? forget it.

[u/Weewoofiatruck]

Can we slap that bad boy on my Mazda 6?

[u/bakgwailo → u/Weewoofiatruck]

A Miata is the obvious Mazda choice here. I'm sure the 20a alternators they have will be fine.

[u/WaffleHouseGladiator]

The next Toyota War is going to look like an EDM festival.

[u/ProIapsedGoose]

Even my 97 Pontiac Sunfire?

[u/MeYouThemEveryone]

It's sad that it makes no sound only a small hum, I want to hear pew pew pew sounds or laser sound effects like what we hear in Star Wars.

[u/TheFatalOneTypes]

P sure we've had this tech for >20 years

[u/burpdaddy]

These are to leave behind for the next war….