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February 1, 2006
New Weapon Could 'Obliterate' Enemy Ground Targets
Topics: War on Terror
The U.S. military has been developing a gunship that could literally obliterate enemy ground targets with a laser beam. The military plans to test the Advanced Tactical Laser, a laser weapon mounted on a C-130H air transport that could destroy any weapon system without collateral damage.
The laser is expected to have tremendous repercussions on the battlefield, particularly in urban warfare in such countries as Afghanistan and Iraq. An official said that "It's the kind of tool that could bring about victory within minutes." The applications of ATL could change military dynamics on the battlefieldand and is envisioned to be capable of destroying or damaging targets in an urban area with virtually no collateral damage, with an expected roange of 10 miles.The Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) ACTD is an innovative concept for airborne ultra-precision strike missions that uses a high-energy laser weapon mounted in a tactical aircraft to engage stationary or moving ground targets. On-board visible and infrared surveillance and acquisition sensors provide the weapon operator scene images of increasing resolution for finding, identifying, and engaging targets. The entire weapon system is envisioned as a package of several self-contained modules that can be installed or removed from the aircraft in a few hours.
The outermost cruise missile engagements occur at 20 km, where laser dwell times of five seconds are required for each kill. At shorter ranges, the dwell times are reduced. One target is destroyed for each dwell period, and a few seconds are allocated for re-targeting between shots.
The ATL is not subject to direct attack by small arms or shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles. In fact, it can be far enough away that its action is almost covert. The laser beam makes no sound and is not visible. The effect of the beam may not be easily associated with a presence of an aircraft several miles away!
Posted by Richard at February 1, 2006 10:27 PM
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