Death Rays Due in a Few Years

Unlike the chemical lasers used in the Boeing 747 demonstrator, solid state lasers are much more likely to be tactically usable.

Cooling could be a real bear though.

Northrop Grumman demonstrates high-power laser building block
By Graham Warwick

High-power solid-state lasers could be fielded within four years if the US military funds its growing interest in directed-energy weapons, believes Northrop Grumman. The company says it is on track to demonstrate a lethal 100kW-class solid-state laser late next year.

"With funding, we could put a 25kW laser out there in less than two years and 100kW in three to four years," says Mike McVey, vice-president for directed-energy systems for Northrop Grumman Space Technology. A 10-20kW laser could blind sensors while a 100kW weapon would allow an airborne platform to take out radar sites and destroy vehicles, he says

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