US Army will test 50 kw lasers on Strykers and 100 kw lasers in 2021

The US Army will test 50 kilowatt lasers on an Anti-aircraft Stryker starting in 2021 and then will field them in 2023.

Doubling a laser’s power level halves the time it takes to burn out a given target at a given range. A 50-kilowatt laser should destroy low-end drones in less than a second and be able to stop incoming drones of swarms before they get through.

The Army is developing a 100 kW laser mounted on a larger Oshkosh FMTV truck with about 5 to 10 tons of payload capacity.

The 100-kilowatt laser trucks would be the second line of defense after the Strykers with 50-kilowatt lasers.

46 thoughts on “US Army will test 50 kw lasers on Strykers and 100 kw lasers in 2021”

  1. Regarding the anti drone capability of lasers, I can’t help but think the same money spent on small caliber automatic cannon firing canister rounds would be more effective, and would be less susceptible to countermeasures like reflective finishes, or magnesium oxide smoke.

  2. Comment on the Lynx. The armor along the length of the cannon barrel(but not attached to the barrel) is a brilliant way to protect the gun mount, and to a lesser degree the rest of the turret, from threats not too far off the line of fire. The gun mount has always been the weakest point in a tank’s forward armor. Unless the Lynx is covered in microwave absorbing material, all the right angles are going to give it a huge radar cross section.

  3. Regarding the anti drone capability of lasers I can’t help but think the same money spent on small caliber automatic cannon firing canister rounds would be more effective and would be less susceptible to countermeasures like reflective finishes or magnesium oxide smoke.

  4. Comment on the Lynx. The armor along the length of the cannon barrel(but not attached to the barrel) is a brilliant way to protect the gun mount and to a lesser degree the rest of the turret from threats not too far off the line of fire. The gun mount has always been the weakest point in a tank’s forward armor.Unless the Lynx is covered in microwave absorbing material all the right angles are going to give it a huge radar cross section.

  5. Good point, those countermeasures you listed would indeed degrade the laser system’s effectiveness. However, I would contend that reflective finishes aren’t all their chalked up to be unless cleaned every other minute; any spec of dirt or dust would lead to a decrease in reflective performance, which would lead to more non-reflective spots forming as the energy absorbed by the dust/dirt degrades its immediate vicinity. A laser system has other attractive strengths, too: a very deep magazine being determined by power availability, effective range is much higher, and the ability to take out faster moving targets such as mortars, artillery shells, missiles, etc. Additionally, the laser system uses advanced optics to make it possible, and those optics can double as a visual aid in heightening situational awareness on the battlefield. In the end, as it the mostly cop out compromise it is, “why not both”?

  6. Good point those countermeasures you listed would indeed degrade the laser system’s effectiveness. However I would contend that reflective finishes aren’t all their chalked up to be unless cleaned every other minute; any spec of dirt or dust would lead to a decrease in reflective performance which would lead to more non-reflective spots forming as the energy absorbed by the dust/dirt degrades its immediate vicinity. A laser system has other attractive strengths too: a very deep magazine being determined by power availability effective range is much higher and the ability to take out faster moving targets such as mortars artillery shells missiles etc. Additionally the laser system uses advanced optics to make it possible and those optics can double as a visual aid in heightening situational awareness on the battlefield. In the end as it the mostly cop out compromise it is why not both””?”””

  7. World militaries have been developing laser weapons for 30-40 years. Bullets and rockets will be around for decades more.

  8. World militaries have been developing laser weapons for 30-40 years. Bullets and rockets will be around for decades more.

  9. Dirt on reflective surfaces would just vaporize under say 100kw of laser light. Really just go with ceramic armor or some magic metal that can transfer heat incredibly well. We are a very long way away from a laser that can take out a main battle tank.

  10. Dirt on reflective surfaces would just vaporize under say 100kw of laser light.Really just go with ceramic armor or some magic metal that can transfer heat incredibly well.We are a very long way away from a laser that can take out a main battle tank.

  11. Dirt on reflective surfaces would just vaporize under say 100kw of laser light. Really just go with ceramic armor or some magic metal that can transfer heat incredibly well. We are a very long way away from a laser that can take out a main battle tank.

  12. Dirt on reflective surfaces would just vaporize under say 100kw of laser light.Really just go with ceramic armor or some magic metal that can transfer heat incredibly well.We are a very long way away from a laser that can take out a main battle tank.

  13. Dirt on reflective surfaces would just vaporize under say 100kw of laser light.

    Really just go with ceramic armor or some magic metal that can transfer heat incredibly well.

    We are a very long way away from a laser that can take out a main battle tank.

  14. World militaries have been developing laser weapons for 30-40 years. Bullets and rockets will be around for decades more.

  15. World militaries have been developing laser weapons for 30-40 years. Bullets and rockets will be around for decades more.

  16. Good point, those countermeasures you listed would indeed degrade the laser system’s effectiveness. However, I would contend that reflective finishes aren’t all their chalked up to be unless cleaned every other minute; any spec of dirt or dust would lead to a decrease in reflective performance, which would lead to more non-reflective spots forming as the energy absorbed by the dust/dirt degrades its immediate vicinity. A laser system has other attractive strengths, too: a very deep magazine being determined by power availability, effective range is much higher, and the ability to take out faster moving targets such as mortars, artillery shells, missiles, etc. Additionally, the laser system uses advanced optics to make it possible, and those optics can double as a visual aid in heightening situational awareness on the battlefield. In the end, as it the mostly cop out compromise it is, “why not both”?

  17. Good point those countermeasures you listed would indeed degrade the laser system’s effectiveness. However I would contend that reflective finishes aren’t all their chalked up to be unless cleaned every other minute; any spec of dirt or dust would lead to a decrease in reflective performance which would lead to more non-reflective spots forming as the energy absorbed by the dust/dirt degrades its immediate vicinity. A laser system has other attractive strengths too: a very deep magazine being determined by power availability effective range is much higher and the ability to take out faster moving targets such as mortars artillery shells missiles etc. Additionally the laser system uses advanced optics to make it possible and those optics can double as a visual aid in heightening situational awareness on the battlefield. In the end as it the mostly cop out compromise it is why not both””?”””

  18. Regarding the anti drone capability of lasers, I can’t help but think the same money spent on small caliber automatic cannon firing canister rounds would be more effective, and would be less susceptible to countermeasures like reflective finishes, or magnesium oxide smoke.

  19. Regarding the anti drone capability of lasers I can’t help but think the same money spent on small caliber automatic cannon firing canister rounds would be more effective and would be less susceptible to countermeasures like reflective finishes or magnesium oxide smoke.

  20. Comment on the Lynx. The armor along the length of the cannon barrel(but not attached to the barrel) is a brilliant way to protect the gun mount, and to a lesser degree the rest of the turret, from threats not too far off the line of fire. The gun mount has always been the weakest point in a tank’s forward armor. Unless the Lynx is covered in microwave absorbing material, all the right angles are going to give it a huge radar cross section.

  21. Comment on the Lynx. The armor along the length of the cannon barrel(but not attached to the barrel) is a brilliant way to protect the gun mount and to a lesser degree the rest of the turret from threats not too far off the line of fire. The gun mount has always been the weakest point in a tank’s forward armor.Unless the Lynx is covered in microwave absorbing material all the right angles are going to give it a huge radar cross section.

  22. Good point, those countermeasures you listed would indeed degrade the laser system’s effectiveness. However, I would contend that reflective finishes aren’t all their chalked up to be unless cleaned every other minute; any spec of dirt or dust would lead to a decrease in reflective performance, which would lead to more non-reflective spots forming as the energy absorbed by the dust/dirt degrades its immediate vicinity.

    A laser system has other attractive strengths, too: a very deep magazine being determined by power availability, effective range is much higher, and the ability to take out faster moving targets such as mortars, artillery shells, missiles, etc. Additionally, the laser system uses advanced optics to make it possible, and those optics can double as a visual aid in heightening situational awareness on the battlefield.

    In the end, as it the mostly cop out compromise it is, “why not both”?

  23. Regarding the anti drone capability of lasers, I can’t help but think the same money spent on small caliber automatic cannon firing canister rounds would be more effective, and would be less susceptible to countermeasures like reflective finishes, or magnesium oxide smoke.

  24. Comment on the Lynx. The armor along the length of the cannon barrel(but not attached to the barrel) is a brilliant way to protect the gun mount, and to a lesser degree the rest of the turret, from threats not too far off the line of fire. The gun mount has always been the weakest point in a tank’s forward armor.
    Unless the Lynx is covered in microwave absorbing material, all the right angles are going to give it a huge radar cross section.

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