Boeing HEL MD (High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator)

Triton

Donald McKelvy
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Published on Sep 8, 2014

Boeing is building a laser cannon for the U.S. Army, and the new weapon has now proved it will be as capable at sea as on land. The High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD)—basically a high-energy laser mounted on top of a big truck—was successfully used to blast some UAV drones and 60mm mortars out of the Florida sky earlier this year, Boeing announced.

http://youtu.be/DdunGQYmzro
 
See under Solid State Laser News Thread

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,9380.50.html
 
"PEW PEW! Boeing’s Real-Life Laser Weapons Are Getting ‘Star Wars’ Sound Effects"

Daniel Howley Technology Reporter
June 3, 2015

Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/pew-pew-boeings-real-life-laser-weapons-are-120614149199.html

Laser weapons aren’t just for sci-fi movies anymore. Companies like Boeing have been developing real-life laser cannons for years, and they’re no joke. They’re powerful enough to shoot down a drone in mid-flight.

But unlike their movie counterparts, real world lasers aren’t brightly colored beams of light that make PEW, PEW noises; they’re invisible and silent. That can be a problem for the people using a laser, because they have to pay close attention to know when they’re firing it.

To remedy this issue, and because the world is hilariously awesome, a Boeing rep recently told Nature that, and this is totally real, the company is adding Star Trek and Star Wars sound effects to its laser weapons, so operators know they’re actively firing them.

According to Popular Science, the sound effects will be added to Boeing’s High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD). This system shot down 90 mortar rounds during a test in 2013. In other words, this thing is a beast.

And now, it will make the same noise as Han Solo’s blaster. (Of course, real-life lasers are much larger than Han’s trusty sidearm. They need enormous power supplies that have to be mounted on huge vehicles.)

This isn’t the first time sound effects have been added to a real-life product. Because some car engines run so quiet nowadays, many automakers have begun adding sound effects to their vehicles to ensure that pedestrians can hear you driving by.

Without the sounds, you might not hear a car coming when you step into traffic. Other car companies have been known to pump in additional sounds to make their cars sound more impressive.

That’s all well and good, but nowhere near as cool as the sound of a laser beam being fired.
 
I could see somebody having WAY too much fun testing out different "sound effects".
 
Triton said:
sferrin said:
I could see somebody having WAY too much fun testing out different "sound effects".

Maybe Boeing will get a license to the Star Wars sound effects from Lucasfilm? ;)

No way. Needs to be Star Trek phaser sound effect as it's a continuous beam. ;D
 

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