[Pfc.Green]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The U.S. Army used a high-energy laser to shoot down an artillery shell in mid-flight on Tuesday in a defense industry breakthrough, the Army and the manufacturer said.

The Army and TRW Inc., which developed the weapon, said in a joint statement that the laser tracked, locked onto and fired a burst of concentrated light energy photons at the speeding shell over the White Sands test range in New Mexico.

"Seconds later, at a point well short of its intended destination, the projectile was destroyed," the Army's Space and Missile Defense Command said.

The Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL) is being developed by TRW for the Army and the Israeli Defense Ministry. Lasers have been used in past tests at the range to shoot down slower Katyusha Rockets similar to those fired at Israel by militant guerrilla groups in neighboring Lebanon.

"This shootdown shifts the paradigm for defensive capabilities. We've shown that even an artillery projectile hurtling through the air at supersonic speed is no match for a laser," said Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Cosumano, head of the missile defense command.

"Tactical high energy lasers have the capacity to change the face of the battlefield," he added.

The laser was fired from a static testbed in a carefully controlled test, but TRW officials said they looked forward to producing a truly mobile version as the program progressed.

Tuesday's test -- the first time a laser had shot down an artillery shell -- was part of a new series to determine MTHEL requirements and demonstrate the system's capabilities against a wide range of airborne targets.

In earlier tests in 2000 and 2001 the testbed focused on the threat of artillery rockets and shot down 25 Katyushas fired singly and in salvos.

The U.S. military has shot down dummy intercontinental missile warheads in tests both inside and outside the atmosphere using projectile weapons and is also examining the possible use of long-range lasers to burn up such warheads in flight.

[Magnum]

That is indeed cool. I already read it off fark though.

[geRV]

Bleeh who cares. Untill they come up with a mobile version and not something thats the size of a friggin house its about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike.

[Zoner]

Soon, the Death Star will be fully operational and the fate of the Rebellion will be sealed...

HAW! It's not every day you get to use a line like that TWICE! biggrin:


Zone

fire the "laser!"

who cares about artillery, i want to know if it can shoot down n'sync's plane

[Zoner]

...or that pesky Alderaan. Those guys have had it good for too long.

swordfight:


Zone

Originally Posted by Strik0r

fire the "laser!"

who cares about artillery, i want to know if it can shoot down n'sync's plane

I can do that with an F4U Corsair for much less money.
plus instead of one neat laser hole their plane will have "the whole nine yards" of .50 caliber ammo (US planes used 9 yard ammo belts, the origin of this quote)

[Tripper]

Bah! Until they come up with Laser-Shovels, I'm not leaving my seat.

[Star85]

lol i want a laser pen, is that the same thing lol oOo:

[Recycled Spooge]

[quote="Pfc.Green":fbb3e]
The U.S. military has shot down dummy intercontinental missile warheads in tests both inside and outside the atmosphere using projectile weapons and is also examining the possible use of long-range lasers to burn up such warheads in flight.[/quote:fbb3e]
Really!? Because I heard otherwise...

[Recycled Spooge]

[quote="Sgt Stryker":ff9d1]

Originally Posted by Strik0r

fire the "laser!"

who cares about artillery, i want to know if it can shoot down n'sync's plane

I can do that with an F4U Corsair for much less money.
plus instead of one neat laser hole their plane will have "the whole nine yards" of .50 caliber ammo (US planes used 9 yard ammo belts, the origin of this quote)[/quote:ff9d1]
I don't think a Corsair is fast enough to be able to catch up to a jet liner.

especially one with n'sync onboard, if i was the pilot i'd be pushing those engines to the max while praying "please god let it end!"

who needs weapons testing ranges when you have boy bands?

[Totenkopf]

Originally Posted by Zoner91

Soon, the Death Star will be fully operational and the fate of the Rebellion will be sealed...

HAW! It's not every day you get to use a line like that TWICE! biggrin:


Zone

lol....true.

[Captain Bunny]

I ask for one thing, and that is to have sharks with frickin laser beams attached to their heads.


I thought lasers capable of destroying/killing were banned in the army for being inhumaine? anyone remember that laser beam that instantly blinded enemy troops. - that got overrun with complaints for being too brutal

[Vance]

Artillery is an inatimate(sp) object.