MILITARY APPLICATIONSOF LASERS

Juhani Laasanen

CONTENTS BASICS

LASER APPLICATIONS

FIREARMS

LASER DESIGNATOR

WEAPONS

BASICS

A laser is a device that emits light (electromagnetic radiation) through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons.

Laser light is notable for its high degree of spatial and temporal coherence.

The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

Red (635 nm), green (532 nm), and blue-violet (445 nm)

APPLICATIONS

Medicine: Bloodless surgery, laser healing, surgical treatment, kidney stone treatment, eye treatment, dentistry

Industry: Cutting, welding, material heat treatment, marking parts, non-contact measurement of parts

Law enforcement: used for latent fingerprint detection

Research: Spectroscopy, laser ablation, laser annealing, laser scattering, laser interferometry, laser capture microdissection, fluorescence microscopy

APPLICATIONS

Product development/commercial: laser printers, optical discs, barcode scanners, thermometers, laser pointers, holograms, bubblegrams

Laser lighting displays: Laser light shows

Cosmetic skin treatments: acne treatment, cellulite and striae reduction, and hair removal

Military: Marking targets, guiding munitions, missile defence, electro-optical countermeasures (EOCM), alternative to radar, blinding troops

FIREARMS

The laser has in most firearms applications been used as a tool to enhance the targeting of other weapon systems.

Laser sight is a small, usually visible-light laser placed on a handgun or a rifle.

It appears as a small spot even at long distances.

Most laser sights use a red laser diode.

FIREARMS

LASER DESIGNATOR

Laser target designator is a low-power laser pointer used to indicate a target for a precision-guided munition.

When a target is marked by a designator, the beam is invisible and does not shine continuously. Instead, a series of coded pulses of laser-light are fired.

These signals bounce off the target into the sky, where they are detected by the seeker on the laser guided munition, which steers itself towards the centre of the reflected signal.

Laser designators may be mounted on aircraft, ground vehicles, or handheld.

LASER DESIGNATOR

ACTUAL WEAPONS?

ZEUS LASER WEAPON

The HLONS (HMMWV Laser Ordnance Neutralization System), is a solid-state laser weapon used by the U.S. military in order to neutralize surface land mines and unexploded ordnance.

It uses a 10 kW solid-state heat capacity (SSHC) laser beam to heat target ordnance to the point of causing the explosive filler to ignite and start to burn.

Can engage targets from 25 to 300 meters away.

Currently being used in Iraq by the U.S. Military.

ZEUS LASER WEAPON

TACTICAL HIGH ENERGY LASER

The Tactical High-Energy Laser, or THEL, is a laser developed for military use, also known as the Nautilus laser system.

THEL uses both Hydrogen Peroxide and Nitrogen Trifluoride. Nitrogen Triflouride (NF3) NF3 is used as a fluorine source in high-energy chemical lasers.

In 2000 and 2001 THEL shot down 28 Katyusha artillery rockets and 5 artillery shells.

2004 the system successfully shot down multiple mortar rounds.

TACTICAL HIGH ENERGY LASER

BOEING YAL-1

The Boeing YAL-1 weapons system is a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified Boeing 747-400F.

Primarily designed as a missile defense system to destroy tactical ballistic missiles.

Besides the COIL, the system also includes two kilowatt-class Target Illuminator Lasers for target tracking.

BOEING YAL-1

The heart of the system is the COIL, comprising six interconnected modules, each as large as an SUV turned on-end.

Each module weighs about 6,500 pounds (3,000 kg).

When fired, the laser produces enough energy in a five-second burst to power a typical American household for more than an hour.

Can destroy targets up to 600 km away.

Ground targets such as armored vehicles are not fragile enough to be damaged by a megawatt-class laser.

ADVANCED TACTICAL LASER

The Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) program is a US military program to mount a high energy laser weapon on an aircraft.

Used against ground targets in urban or other areas where minimizing collateral damage is important.

The laser will be a 100 kilowatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser.

On June 18, 2009 it was announced that the ATL was successfully fired in flight for the first time.

Aug. 30, 2009 Boeing and the U.S. Air Force "defeated" a ground target from the air.

ADVANCED TACTICAL LASER

SOME OTHER PROJECTS

On July 2010 an anti-aircraft laser described as the Laser Close-In Weapon System was unveiled at the Farnborough Airshow.

The Mid-Infrared Advanced Chemical Laser (MIRACL) is an experimental U.S. Navy deuterium fluoride laser.

In 2011, the U.S. Navy began to test the Maritime Laser Demonstrator (MLD), a laser for use aboard its warships.

Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response, or PHaSR, is a non-lethal hand-held weapon. Its purpose is to "dazzle" or stun a target.

Sources: Wikipedia, www.usmilitary.com

LOPPU

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SLUT

http://www.usmilitary.com/

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