Investors Hangout Stock Message Boards Logo
  • Mailbox
  • Favorites
  • Boards
    • The Hangout
    • NASDAQ
    • NYSE
    • OTC Markets
    • All Boards
  • Whats Hot!
    • Recent Activity
    • Most Viewed Boards
    • Most Viewed Posts
    • Most Posted
    • Most Followed
    • Top Boards
    • Newest Boards
    • Newest Members
  • Blog
    • Recent Blog Posts
    • Recently Updated
    • News
    • Stocks
    • Crypto
    • Investing
    • Business
    • Markets
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Personal Finance
  • Market Movers
  • Interactive Charts
  • Login - Join Now FREE!
  1. Home ›
  2. Stock Message Boards ›
  3. User Boards ›
  4. Traders Cafe Message Board

U.S. military spending millions on missile-destroy

Message Board Public Reply | Private Reply | Keep | Replies (0)                   Post New Msg
Edit Msg () | Previous | Next


Post# of 27273
(Total Views: 99)
Posted On: 07/14/2018 8:22:49 AM
Avatar
Posted By: wowhappens28
U.S. military spending millions on missile-destroying lasers that can be mounted on drones

http://futuretech.news/2018-07-13-u-s-militar...rones.html

The Pentagon wants a fleet of animal-inspired flying drones armed with lasers that can destroy any potential threat to the U.S., including enemy missiles waiting to be launched from their pads, reported The Daily Mail.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has put in a budget request of $9.9 billion for 2019. Of that amount, $66 million will go into funding its Low Power Laser Demonstrator (LPLD).

The end goal of the LPLD program is to develop a laser that is small enough to fit aboard a drone and powerful enough to destroy missiles with one shot. The MDA promises a test-worthy system in two years’ time if its budget gets approved.

Defense officials are pinning their hopes on these lasers and other advanced anti-missile technologies to stop potential North Korean attacks against U.S. territories and allies in the Pacific region.

A DefenseOne.com article stated that large numbers of laser-armed drones can shoot down enemy missiles no matter where they are located. The best way to use them would be to deploy them within range of enemy territory so that they could destroy the missiles on the ground or intercept them as they are being launched.

These airborne attack craft will be armed with solid-state lasers that are a step above the older chemical lasers or solid-state bulk lasers. The new lasers will use the same fiber-optic technology as modern communications cables. That allows them to be built much smaller than previous generations of laser weapons while also generating enough power to destroy a large missile.

The first phase of the solid-state fiber laser program began last year when MDA contracted Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and General Atomics. Each company will devise a solution for a working laser weapon and present it to the Pentagon by 2019.

The winning company will be given further funding to build a prototype laser for testing by 2020 at the latest. (Related: Video game orbital lasers come to life: Chinese engineers propose to zap space debris out of orbit with giant lasers.)

Animal-inspired drones
Unmanned combat vehicles are expected to exert immense effects in future conflicts. The U.S. military has understandably spent many billions of dollars to make sure its fleet of combat drones is the best in the world.

To this end, the Department of Defense (DoD) launched the Defense Enterprise Science Initiative (DESI) this January. DESI will issue “defense challenges” that will hopefully inspire engineers and researchers to devise clever and practical solutions.

Sensors, mobility, and autonomy are this year’s focus. One of the defense challenges calls for the creation of autonomous drones that can match the agility of bats and flying insects.

DESI has called for a new paradigm in autonomous flight that combines agility and autonomy. Unmanned craft must be able to make swift decisions, switch directions, or dodge obstacles without human prompting. That means improving the algorithms that handle flight and decision-making trees until the drone can react fast enough.

Furthermore, the contest believes new technological advances can be gleaned from the myriad ways bats, flying insects, and other flight-capable animals move their bodies during flight.

According to DESI, the current strides in sensors, processors, and flight control algorithms are perfect for the job. It calls for the creation of an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is more maneuverable, survivable, and stealthy compared to the typical quad-copter or fixed-wing drone.

If DESI produces a workable animal-like drone, chances are it will be armed with a production version of the MDA’s solid-state fiber laser, paving the way for flocks of drones that will rain lasers upon enemy missile batteries.


(0)
(0)








Investors Hangout

Home

Mailbox

Message Boards

Favorites

Whats Hot

Blog

Settings

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

Disclaimer

Contact Us

Whats Hot

Recent Activity

Most Viewed Boards

Most Viewed Posts

Most Posted Boards

Most Followed

Top Boards

Newest Boards

Newest Members

Investors Hangout Message Boards

Welcome To Investors Hangout

Stock Message Boards

American Stock Exchange (AMEX)

NASDAQ Stock Exchange (NASDAQ)

New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

Penny Stocks - (OTC)

User Boards

The Hangout

Private

Global Markets

Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)

Euronext Amsterdam (AMS)

Euronext Brussels (BRU)

Euronext Lisbon (LIS)

Euronext Paris (PAR)

Foreign Exchange (FOREX)

Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX)

London Stock Exchange (LSE)

Milan Stock Exchange (MLSE)

New Zealand Exchange (NZX)

Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX)

Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX)

Contact Investors Hangout

Email Us

Follow Investors Hangout

Twitter

YouTube

Facebook

Market Data powered by QuoteMedia. Copyright © 2025. Data delayed 15 minutes unless otherwise indicated (view delay times for all exchanges).
Analyst Ratings & Earnings by Zacks. RT=Real-Time, EOD=End of Day, PD=Previous Day. Terms of Use.

© 2025 Copyright Investors Hangout, LLC All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Policy |Do Not Sell My Information | Terms & Conditions | Disclaimer | Help | Contact Us