This Mortar-Hunting
War Truck Just Got a Powerful New Laser Cannon
The Army's High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD) has
been under development for some years now, however until this point, it's been
little more than a proof of concept. But thanks to a new upgrade to its firing
system, the HEL MD can now burn most any incoming threat clean out of the sky.
Last time we heard about the HEL
MD, it was sporting a 10 KW laser—hot enough to fry a UAV's electronics but not
sufficient to handle more traditional threats like rockets, artillery and
mortars (collectively known as RAM). That's why Boeing has quintupled its power
output to 50 KW.
During
a series of tests held at White Sands Missile Range earlier this month, the HEL
MD successfully knocked more than 90 mortars out of the air, as well as a
number of UAVs. In addition to the integrated laser and beam director mounted
in the vehicle, the upgraded HEL MD utilized a separate, surrogate radar: the
Enhanced Multi Mode Radar to track incoming rounds and queue up shots.
And
while the current iteration is quite powerful, Boeing isn't done yet. The next
version will double its current out put to a staggering 100 KW and be able to
kill even cruise missiles . Pew-pew indeed. [US Army via Gizmag]
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