#laser weapons

[lil-tachyon]

Coherent light service weapon.

For Untamed Worlds

[spacevixenmusic]

Source: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2005]

[swtechspecs]

Superlaser, Death Star II

Source: The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology (Del Rey, 1997)

[tomorrowusa]

UK scrambles to get new precision military laser DragonFire into service for fight against Russian drones in Ukraine

The British armed forces are working to bring a precision military laser into service early so Ukraine can use it to shoot down Russian dron

Britain has been developing a laser air defense system called DragonFire. Originally it hadn't been scheduled for deployment until 2027 but the war in Ukraine may offer the UK an opportunity to test its capabilities by seeing how well DragonFire takes out Russian drones fired at Ukraine.

The DragonFire weapon, which is expected to be in service by 2027 at the latest, can hit a target the size of a £1 coin from a kilometre away. Reforms aimed at speeding up procurement mean that DragonFire will now be operational five years earlier than planned. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps travelled down to the Porton Down military research base in Salisbury in an attempt to speed development up even further "in order for Ukrainians perhaps to get their hands on it". "I've come down to speed up the production of the DragonFire laser system because I think given that there's two big conflicts on, one sea-based, one in Europe, this could have huge ramifications to have a weapon capable particularly of taking down drones," Mr Shapps told journalists. "And so what I want to do is speed up what would usually be a very lengthy development procurement process, possibly up to ten years, based on my conversations this morning, to a much shorter timeframe to get it deployed, potentially on ships, incoming drones, and potentially on land. "Again, incoming drones, but it doesn't take much imagination see how that could be helpful in Ukraine for example." Laser-directed energy weapons can strike at the speed of light, using an intense light beam to cut through their target. They are a lower-cost alternative to using missiles to strike down drones, costing only about £10 per shot.

You can't argue with cheap, fast, and accurate. Ukrainians are quick learners, highly motivated, and amazing innovators. DragonFire and Ukraine would be a great match.

The new procurement model, which comes into effect this week, is aimed at speeding up the process of getting cutting-edge developments in military capability like DragonFire out on to the field. "It's designed to not wait until we have this at 99.9% perfection before it goes into the field, but get it to sort of 70% and then get it out there and then... develop it from there," Mr Shapps said. Asked whether the system might be ready earlier than 2027, he said: "Because I'm here, I've taken the opportunity to arrange additional conversations with colleagues about whether we could speed it up even faster, very much using the integrated procurement model of saying there's a war on - let's say that it didn't have to be 100% perfect in order for Ukrainians perhaps to get their hands on it, can we do any better - but 2027 is still the date as of this moment. "But of course I'll look to see what we can do to speed up."

Ukraine may be the equivalent of a beta tester for DragonFire. Experience in Ukraine would be used for improvements to the weapons system.

So far, laser defense systems are being developed particularly in connection with naval uses. Here's a vid from late 2021 which outlines the potential uses for and challenges to use of such systems.

It makes me grin to recall that the High Valyrian word for DragonFire is Dracarys.

[posthumanwanderings]

Star Gladiator Episode 1: Final Crusade (Capcom - PS1 - 1996)

[skumpitt]

[rapid-artwork]

Had some fun designing sci-fi weapons. Click for better detail.

 Hope Federation “Glowrym” Laser Carbine: A high powered laser weapon used by mid rank Federation soldiers. It gains it’s nickname due to the two fusion breakers that glow bright yellow when it overheats. Good at medium to long range, can punch holes through solid steel with ease.

Gzherme Tactical Scatter Gun: A heavy duty laser scatter gun used by mercenary squadrons or bounty hunters. It has been banned for civilian use, due to how easily it can damage spaceship hulls. It fires white hot plasma propelled by electromagnetic waves. It can be fired blind in a blast, or locked onto to metal targets for a concentrated spray. Since it homes in on metal targets and burns through armor, it is a favored weapon against robots and androids.

Improvised Ray Slinger: A crude pipe weapon that shoots a short beam of concentrated energy. It is easy to make and surprisingly effective. It can blast holes in most armor and is a favored weapon of revolutionaries across the galaxy. It’s major drawback is how quickly it can drain batteries and a lack of standardized parts.

Antique ‘Owens’ Wave Blaster: A classic design from the renowned gunsmith Adijer Owen. The delicate clockwork and focused lenses allow for quick bursts of non-lethal energy waves. While it only has a short range it is hard to miss as the wave rings spread quickly and incapacitate targets quickly. Has not been fired in years and may no longer work.

Magnon Orbit Gun: A rare weapon from the Magnon forges, this gun uses a portable gravity well to shoot powerful rays of crushing gravity. On lower settings it can stun targets with its weaponized gravity, and on higher settings it can crush targets into powder upon contact. This weapon takes a lot of effort to maintain since the gravity well warps the materials with time.

Yertech “Needle” Splinter Pistol: The standard issue sidearm of the Grand Ring Peacekeepers. It fires bolts of concentrated electricity that incapacitate targets and burn on contact. Being hit with a bolt from a Splinter Pistol feels like the sting of a massive insect, but they are very rarely lethal. 

[dognames]

fallout laser weapons

wazer wifle's a fav but ngl i almost gave up on survivor's special, bit of a nightmare - compared to the plasma weapons, i made sure to pay particular attention to the finest details :)