Boeing Laser Avenger Shoots Down Unmanned Aerial Vehicle In Tests
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has successfully demonstrated that a laser system mounted on an Avenger combat vehicle can shoot down a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) like those that increasingly threaten U.S. troops deployed in war zones.
During tests last month at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., Laser Avenger achieved its principal test objectives by using its advanced targeting system to acquire and track three small UAVs flying against a complex background of mountains and desert. The laser system also shot down one of the UAVs from an operationally relevant range. These tests mark the first time a combat vehicle has used a laser to shoot down a UAV.
Representatives of the U.S. Army’s Cruise Missile Defense Systems project office observed the tests.
“Small UAVs armed with explosives or equipped with surveillance sensors are a growing threat on the battlefield,” said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Directed Energy Systems. “Laser Avenger, unlike a conventional weapon, can fire its laser beam without creating missile exhaust or gun flashes that would reveal its position. As a result, Laser Avenger can neutralize these UAV threats while keeping our troops safe.”
The tests follow a 2007 demonstration in which an earlier version of Laser Avenger neutralized improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnance (UXO) on the ground.
“We doubled the laser power; added sophisticated acquisition, tracking and pointing capability; and simplified and ruggedized the design,” said Lee Gutheinz, Boeing program director for High-Energy Laser/Electro-Optical Systems. “Boeing developed and integrated these upgrades in less than a year, underscoring our ability to rapidly respond to warfighters’ needs.”
Laser Avenger integrates a directed energy weapon together with the kinetic weapons on the proven Avenger air defense system developed by Boeing Combat Systems in Huntsville, Ala. It is a Boeing-funded initiative to demonstrate that directed energy weapons are maturing and are relevant to today’s battlefield.
Boeing leads the way in developing laser systems for a variety of U.S. Air Force and Army warfighter applications. These systems include the Airborne Laser, the Advanced Tactical Laser, the High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator and the Tactical Relay Mirror System.
(H/T Steve in NC)
 |
|
The Avenger is badass. Plain and simple. Cool thing is that Star Wars isn’t far off. Shit, we’re using lasers to shoot aircraft out of the skies for God’s sake. Gives a whole new meaning to the term Jawas.
FUCK YEAH … whatever they are paying the eggheads, double it and keep the good shit commin’!
You’ll fry your eye out
Sorry couldn’t resist
Let’s hope they keep paying the eggheads at all - with Obambi and his crew talking about huge military cutbacks, things like this may be put on the back burner, or just “disappeared” altogether
Ahhh the good ole Avenger from LAAD the marine corps got rid of all there Avengers even when we used to remote use them to even get in em and spin about. We used the older ones in Aghan for there FLIR capabilities and the good ole electronic 50 cal ment for air craft with a 1400 rounds per min. . They just took the old Avenger and fixed it up and instead of trashin em too bad they already got rid of the Low Atitude Air Defense in the marines by moving them to different MOS’s saying that there was no longer a need for it as the US has air supperiority. OH Well Glad to see they finally got around to using there head for something probably just started listening to the enlisted as we already knew about the capablity to shoot down UAV’s and much more.
can it also ignite the fuel in the armored vehicles/aircraft’s gas tanks? or overheat the IR/thermal sights and blind the tank/helicopter? how about a portable version and put it on the unmanned ground vehicle/robot… welcome to star wars
That was awesome!
Kudos to our men and women designing these fantastic weapons.
But, it’s intorduction is just in time to help round us all up into ‘Emergency Centers’ to help get our minds right.
It’s a two-edged sword and Obama’s swinging it.