US Navy just tested in the Persian gulf - ship mounted laser weapon

[Bob]

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The U.S. Navy tests an experimental laser weapon aboard a deployed ship for the first time. The weapon, which utilizes a solid state infrared beam of energy to cripple or destroy targets, was tested in the Persian Gulf.

(Baltimore Sun reporting and numerous internet sources for Military News)

(Look out Iran - the US Navy can now beam you with some really hot stuff at quite a distance away.. without ever firing a shot.. Think about what toasted marshmellows, really toasted ones..are like after having being irradiated by the infra-red heat ray.. not a kind honorable weapon like Kilij. They could have tested anywhere, they chose the Persian Gulf..)

[Linda Brown]

Precisely the message given too. The ships name was the Ponce , I believe, which has a certain significance also.....

Linda

[Olam]

Don't forget that this is released public info from the military which tells me that its not something very special or important to them.
The real hot stuff will always be secret until it becomes a toy and then they talk about it.

[Bob]

Precisely the message given too. The ships name was the Ponce , I believe, which has a certain significance also.....

Linda

I think so too..

more - specifically against "fast moving small boats" typically those who do the harassing, or suicide bombing... little boats better stay away, or they will "see the light" (not from the infrared but when their bodies burn, before their eyes melt and flesh falls off... nasty weapon..)


PENTAGON (Source) —

The U.S. Navy has declared an experimental laser weapon on its Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB) in the Persian Gulf an operational asset and U.S. Central Command has given permission for the commander of the ship to defend itself with the weapon, the head of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) told reporters on Wednesday.

The 30 kilowatt Laser Weapon System (LaWS) was installed aboard USS Ponce this summer as part of a $40 million research and development effort from ONR and Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to test the viability of directed energy weapons in an operational environment, said ONR Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder.

“The captain of that ship has all of the authorities necessary if there was a threat inbound to that ship to protect our sailors and Marines [and] we would defend that ship with that laser system,” Klunder said.

“It would be [used] against those [unmanned aerial vehicles], slow moving helicopters, fast patrol craft.”

[Linda Brown]

On the Ponce

http://cosmic-token.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=30888#p30888

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Ponce_%28LPD-15%29

doesn't a single bullet cost more than a dollar? Just askin.

Linda

[Linda Brown]

Oh but Bob.... dumbed down.... isnt it just supposed to tickle and annoy... (or is that simply the sound generated stuff from Alexanders bunch at Los Alamos<g>) The Navy seems to have a deadlier and more serious handle on things, but haven't they always? Linda

[Bob]

http://www.public.navy.mil/surflant/afsbi15/PublishingImages/USS%20PONCE%20PAO%20SMALL%20CREST.JPG

It was going to be decommissioned, but it kept being called back into service. Then the Navy thought, heck, lets put a cutting edge laser on it. Now it just won't be sweeping for mines, it can become an attack craft (in theory), or just go taking pot shots at drones, and snoopy helicopters, or heck maybe even Russian jets.. Come close and feel the light.. what a concept..

http://www.ponce.navy.mil/


USS PONCE was originally commissioned on July 10, 1971 and designated as an amphibious transport dock (LPD) ship.

PONCE became a workhorse of the Atlantic Fleet with the Proud Lions completing 27 North Atlantic, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and Arabian Gulf deployments over the next 42 years. In 2011, PONCE was selected for decommissioning after her final deployment and began deactivation in November 2011.

In January 2012, the Commander, Central Forces Command, requested an Afloat Forward Staging Base to conduct operations from the sea.

United States Fleet Forces Command, under the leadership of Admiral Harvey, with CNO concurrence, took point and coordinated the efforts of industry partners with Military Sealift Command to fill the Combatant Commander’s request.

USS PONCE gained new life from a March 30 planned decommissioning ceremony, and manned with a hybrid crew of Military Sealift Command Mariners and Individual Augmentee Sailors began a 60 day sprint to meet a 01 June 2012 deployment date.

PONCE was reconfigured to support mine countermeasure operations and act as a mission support vessel for FIFTH FLEET operations.


USS PONCE deployed on June 01, 2012 and is currently serving in the Central Command area of responsibility.

[Linda Brown]

By " dumbed down" I meant this... which has been in development for years for " crowd control" All you have to do is turn it up a notch or two and you have what the Navy is demonstrating now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directed-energy_weapon

[Linda Brown]

"PONCE was reconfigured to support mine countermeasure operations and act as a mission support vessel for FIFTH FLEET operations

If she hadn't already been named.... they would have given her a bird name.....the Navy tradition for "mine sweepers". A different sort of " Aviary".

Linda

[Bob]

Between the helicopter mounted laser systems, shipboard, and land based, one can only look at the satellite based as the stuff not being talked about. The earlier gig was to develop land to sky "atmospheric scintillation" cancelling tools (software and deformable mirrors to compensate)..

When the ground based to airborne were proven out, then anti-scintillation technology allows for SKY (space) to ground with the majority of the beam power FULLY deployable..

The laser-majik comes from solid state amplifiers, fibre amplifiers. I have another thread which gets into the mechanisms of that.

UPDATE:

Link to the post on the Fibre Laser amplifiers:

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?73560-Navy-feels-Laser-weapons-on-Helicopters-can-become-a-reality&p=861556&viewfull=1#post861556


http://weldingdesign.com/site-files/weldingdesign.com/files/imagecache/large_img/uploads/2014/05/lockheedhienergylaser.jpg

and this link:

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?73560-Navy-feels-Laser-weapons-on-Helicopters-can-become-a-reality&p=872035&viewfull=1#post872035

describes the fibre amplifier


http://ej.iop.org/images/2040-8986/15/10/105501/Full/jopt475323f1_online.jpg

[Bob]

Don't forget that this is released public info from the military which tells me that its not something very special or important to them.
The real hot stuff will always be secret until it becomes a toy and then they talk about it.

See post 10 above, that talks about what IS not talked about - satellite to ground lasers...

[A Voice from the Mountains]

Will it work after an EMP or other attack crippling electronics systems?

They had a state-of-the-art warship lose all power not too long ago, in the Black Sea if I'm not mistaken.

[Bob]

The most robust systems are fibre optic systems, which survive EMP.. No wires but optical fibres.. if they close the metal lid, the electronics would survive..

Its formidable, not a toy really if one is being melted..

Countermeasures, the Iranians, or for that matter the Somalians (the py-rats hijacking ships, tankers) don't stand a chance with this type of system.. they don't have a counter-measure.

It is an active formidable at-a-distance weapon, able to destroy or debilitate at-a-distance.. key words, at-a-distance.

But as i pointed out in post 10, SATELLITE to ground or Satellite to air.. or satellite to ship - that system is the shhhhhhh one.. nasty X 1000

--- and there are the satellite killer weapons - ground based laser systems designed to BLIND spy satellites (which can also blind drones, not just shoot them down).. Laser blinding systems are formidable.. and do affect drone optics.. OR heat seeking missile optics.

-- was HG Wells so far off with War of the Worlds describing the Martian machine's heat rays?
A flexible weapon (i.e. fibre optic reference), which can convey heat beams..


http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/296/4/7/war_of_the_worlds_by_domigorgon-d31dggq.jpg


Of course the next step is to put it on Humvee's (oh right that's been done) supposedly for eliminating IED (improvised explosive devices) at a distance. Sweeping such on a crowd is a push of a button.. think about where they are with the laser weapons.. In the posts above, the Mil commander IS authorized to defend.. if attacked.. What constitutes a crowd attacking?

[Linda Brown]

I have asked myself.... how would you TEST the accuracy of such a " satellite to ground" " beam" as perhaps you mentioned here Bob

"But as i pointed out in post 10, SATELLITE to ground or Satellite to air.. or satellite to ship - that system is the shhhhhhh one.. nasty X 1000

And the only thing that has raised a public stir is.... crop circles.

Now.... who has it.... and where is the master for those crop circles that are being copied so carefully.... so far below?
A question worth asking. Linda

[Bob]

I have asked myself.... how would you TEST the accuracy of such a " satellite to ground" " beam" as perhaps you mentioned here Bob

"But as i pointed out in post 10, SATELLITE to ground or Satellite to air.. or satellite to ship - that system is the shhhhhhh one.. nasty X 1000

And the only thing that has raised a public stir is.... crop circles.

Now.... who has it.... and where is the master for those crop circles that are being copied so carefully.... so far below?
A question worth asking. Linda

What a deliciously hilarious concept -" some cropcircles could be generated from satellite, scribbling with machine like precision, rapidly produced from space.. perfect test of the anti-scintillation mechanism.. Have you ever looked into how that works Linda, absolutely fascinating.. Same mech was being designed into the aircraft laser weapons system to have precise power to remote targets..

now this would be an amazingly intricate laser-from-space circle... :)


http://www.creativeuseoftechnology.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/laser-cut-paper-art-eric-standley-6.jpg

[Tyy1907]

I was hoping for a Star Wars laser to shoot out. :(;)

[Linda Brown]

Slightly off topic ( but maybe actually not) I wanted to thank the poster above, Tyy1907, hello Canada) for quoting this from Winston Churchill. I wanted to repeat it, here and in other places, because I think that it needs to be read. Many times we forget lessons from the past and we should not.

"Still, if you will not fight when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worst case: You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves."
Winston Churchill


Tyye1907....minus the Hollywood theatrics..... it looks like Star Wars stuff to me!

[DeDukshyn]

I was hoping for a Star Wars laser to shoot out. :(;)

Sorry about that tyy -- light is actually invisible and travels at the speed of, well, light. Matter itself is also invisible, yet when the two mingle, the results can be seen as a spectacular display of hue and intensity depending on how the matter has scattered the photons. In reality no person ever sees matter at all, and no one ever sees light, we only perceive their interaction in a sort of reconstructed "virtual reality" we call "the sense of sight" ;)

So there never will be "star wars lasers" -- I know, boring. ;)

[Bob]

I was hoping for a Star Wars laser to shoot out. :(;)

Sorry about that tyy -- light is actually invisible and travels at the speed of, well, light. Matter itself is also invisible, yet when the two mingle, the results can be seen as a spectacular display of hue and intensity depending on how the matter has scattered the photons. In reality no person ever sees matter at all, and no one ever sees light, we only perceive their interaction in a sort of reconstructed "virtual reality" we call "the sense of sight" ;)

So there never will be "star wars lasers" -- I know, boring. ;)

I suppose if we up the power with free-energy-over-unity plasma inducing fields, and induce a standing wavefront with an ultrasonic containment field, and drive the output with picosecond pulses it can, in theory, be stopped at some 'relatively' short distance (because of the standing wave "mirror effect". But ya without all them beam folding standing waves and the gigawatts in the plasma, a regular laser is gonna go on for a while.. When the air plasma glows it would be visible, and really 'hot'..

I just can't see "Luke" making one of those in an off-world rock hut, unless they have one really amazing parts stores in the garage.. ;p

[Tyy1907]

I was hoping for a Star Wars laser to shoot out. :(;)

Sorry about that tyy -- light is actually invisible and travels at the speed of, well, light. Matter itself is also invisible, yet when the two mingle, the results can be seen as a spectacular display of hue and intensity depending on how the matter has scattered the photons. In reality no person ever sees matter at all, and no one ever sees light, we only perceive their interaction in a sort of reconstructed "virtual reality" we call "the sense of sight" ;)

So there never will be "star wars lasers" -- I know, boring. ;)

Still pretty cool tech though.:cool:

[Calz]

*yawn*

Russia has demonstrated it's ability to shut down systems on a US ship (where they got that technology is up for debate) ...

... I expect the same technology would shut down a laser as well ... but simply shooting from the hip (not laser).

[KiwiElf]

LOL... "tested for the first time" - I seriously doubt that. Such weaponry has been reportedly used for well over a decade and at least during the Gulf War.

[Bob]

Here is an example of ONLY a 40 watt infra-red laser roasting a marshmallow..


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If anyone thought that in the OP I was kidding about the roasting ability of this weapons system.

the Navy document submitted to Congress stating requirements, suggested power levels, deployment uses is HERE (http://fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/R41526.pdf)

The laser weapon is a 30 kilowatt output beam device, nicknamed Laser Weapon System (LaWS).

It is 1500 times the power of the small laser melting the marshmallow in the video above. Meaning it has a bigger beam, it can be swept, and it has RANGE. It can take out missile systems shot at the ship from a distance.

And if anyone should have the misfortune to directly look at the beam (or a reflection) while on the assaulting vessel which is attacking the 'protected ship', just recall what happened to the marshmallows.. IN the case of that much power, 1500X, it would be over, blind, in less than a second.

[Bob]

LOL... "tested for the first time" - I seriously doubt that. Such weaponry has been reportedly used for well over a decade and at least during the Gulf War.

TESTED in the PERSIAN gulf, to make a point - the fibre lasers have been around a LONG TIME.. :)

¤=[Post Update]=¤


*yawn*

Russia has demonstrated it's ability to shut down systems on a US ship (where they got that technology is up for debate) ...

... I expect the same technology would shut down a laser as well ... but simply shooting from the hip (not laser).

Ya as funny as a Jedi wielding a second hand light sabre :)

If it wasn't a statement about deploying in the Persian gulf, what was it? Next stop is on the Humvees for on the battlefield..

[Calz]

Yes ... but ...

there is technology out there that can rip the planet apart ...

don't forget this is ... what ... the 7th rendering of humanity here (after we have developed far enough to destroy our civilization with technology the last 6 times).


Point being if we don't do something to keep our level of spirituality level with our technology we will fail again ... and again ...


Isn't that obvious to everyone here???

[Bob]

Yes ... but ...

there is technology out there that can rip the planet apart ...

don't forget this is ... what ... the 7th rendering of humanity here (after we have developed far enough to destroy our civilization with technology the last 6 times).


Point being if we don't do something to keep our level of spirituality level with our technology we will fail again ... and again ...


Isn't that obvious to everyone here???

The tech on the bigger nuclear powered boats can take out those russian fighters AT a distance before they can light up an EMP.. Fascinating concept.. FAST war, faster than missiles..

I 1000% doubt if anyone has the data and follows it with Fibre laser weapons systems.. that they have ANY capacity to do ANY damage to the planet. The power isn't there.. The amount of energy needed to melt rock on the earth, to come anywhere close to what happens in a volcano, a lava flow.. put it in perspective..

Won't happen. What these systems will do is LEVEL quite fast the battlefield. AND intimidate the enemy. The gadflies such as py-rats holding up marine shipping commerce, and terrorists attempting to sabotage a naval vessel.. one can assume that naval commanders, and ship captains have said nope, won't take being the rag any more. It WILL stop naval terrorism, fast, with these devices in place.

War and Spirituality

HawkEye and Father Mulcahy had an interesting discussion about that..

(from my thread Signpost up Ahead, your next stop? (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?65323-A-Signpost-up-ahead-your-next-stop&p=824073&viewfull=1#post824073))


http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/1365380815_alan-alda-mash.jpg

Hawkeye: War isn't Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse.
Father Mulcahy: How do you figure, Hawkeye?
Hawkeye: Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell?
Father Mulcahy: Sinners, I believe.
Hawkeye: Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. War is chock full of them - little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for some of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander.

[Calz]

The tech on the bigger nuclear powered boats can take out those russian fighters AT a distance before they can light up an EMP..




Do we know it was done with EMP?

Old technology and I expect most modern weaponry would be protected ...

[Bob]

The tech on the bigger nuclear powered boats can take out those russian fighters AT a distance before they can light up an EMP..




Do we know it was done with EMP?

Old technology and I expect most modern weaponry would be protected ...

I recall hearing it was EMP - high powered microwave induced EMP.. this type of system:

https://dropdabomb.wordpress.com/ described on this page talks about different methods to create massive high power microwave signals, which with the intense breakdown of space itself due to the high power in the electromagnetic field from the microwave, all that energy duplicates the reaction from a directed nuclear energy device..

Interestingly enough I had the misfortune having all my computers taken out by a silent black helicopter spouting one of the microwave pulse cannons.. interesting story.. THAT happened back in 1996.. so again, the technology has matured immensely..

Russia has pioneered in the microwave ultra-high powered device called GYROTRON - specifically designed to create microwave plasma able to light off a fusion reaction.. Being on the receiving end of a gyrotron pulse dumped into a linear shotgun antenna is no fun, not for anyone with electronics.. The Russian action could be taken as a provocative act-of-war.. So if they ended up being laser punched after that stunt, trying it again, maybe they will sit up and take notice, two can play at that game..

This video shows the US version, the baby version of the russian microwave emp weapon..
worth connecting those dots.. (2 minutes)


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[Meggings]

"Laser Weapon System (LaWS) was installed aboard USS Ponce this summer as part of a $40 million research and development effort from ONR and Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to test the viability of directed energy weapons..."

The LaWS system was clandestinely used in an attempt to down the Malaysian Flight M-370. It was not deployed this summer, for last winter I downloaded the picture below from some website, showing the LaWS weapon.

28261

[Rocky_Shorz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StC9nRB_AVY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPl_xKPI_5w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdYK-Ha2eSE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DhEssy3NWw

[Linda Brown]

Yes ... but ...

there is technology out there that can rip the planet apart ...

don't forget this is ... what ... the 7th rendering of humanity here (after we have developed far enough to destroy our civilization with technology the last 6 times).



Point being if we don't do something to keep our level of spirituality level with our technology we will fail again ... and again ...


Isn't that obvious to everyone here???

Why do you assume that it isn't obvious to some of us here? Linda

[GK76]

Perhaps we should Ponce/Pense(think) about light, and its destructive and healing ability in our exploration of the new world/age of discovery. We, like the Ponce de Leon are also looking to establish a Puerto Rico (Rich Port) as we become Juan.

Sorry, couldn't resist. :)

[Bob]

A few more images of the LaWS device


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Fleet commanders particularly are interested in deck-mounted laser weapons like LaWS against enemy small attack boats, aerial drones, and other asymmetric threats.

The LaWS demonstrations are expected to lead to solid-state laser weapons for vessels such as guided-missile destroyers and the Littoral Combat Ship in the early 2020s, Navy officials say. LaWS-develop technologies also could be applied to airborne and ground-based laser weapons.

Shipboard laser weapons not only offer precision and speed, but are safer to operate than traditional deck-mounted weapons because lasers don't rely on dangerous propellants and gunpowder. Lasers run on electricity and can be fired as long as there is power.

So there is the issue, if power is taken out with an EMP, both the laser systems AND the conventional systems (propellant weapons and rocket/missiles) are damaged or disabled. A perfect reason why Russia has chosen to use EMP (highpower microwave) disabling weapons during an attack run..

"They also cost less to build, install, and fire than traditional kinetic weapons like expensive missiles, Navy officials say. “At less than a dollar per shot, there's no question about the value LaWS provides" says rear Admiral Klunder, chief of Naval Research for the US Navy. (www.onr.navy.mil)

Going public to emphasise the results, the researchers have completed a major milestone, with three months of at-sea testing of this shipboard high-energy laser weapon.

It seems pretty clear, the military is going strongly into laser defence systems - at sea, in the air, and on land.

A few more pix of the LaWS system, bench top configuration showing much of the support equipment that is needed for operating it..


http://www.militaryaerospace.com/content/dam/mae/online-articles/2014/04/Laser%20weapon%208%20April%202014.jpg

(Contributions of material Military and Aerospace News)

Question - why Persian Gulf?
Iran unleashed swarms of attack boats against Navy forces in the Persian Gulf back in 2008. The Persian Gulf then is a perfect theatre to test and utilise effectively for protection.

Question - is there a man making decisions, pulling the trigger?
The LaWS fire control will come from the radar of a Close-In Weapon System (CIWS), which is a standard shipboard Gatling gun designed to shred incoming missiles and aircraft.

[Linda Brown]

Bob... You said

"Going public to emphasise the results, the researchers have completed a major milestone, with three months of at-sea testing of this shipboard high-energy laser weapon.

It seems pretty clear, the military is going strongly into laser defence systems - at sea, in the air, and on land.

I would suggest that the long term planners of this system were considering a world wide defense system and these are just backyard prototype tests.

It may be that the long term worry is the proper development of something that could protect us from an incoming threat to this planet. Linda

[Bob]

Bob... You said

"Going public to emphasise the results, the researchers have completed a major milestone, with three months of at-sea testing of this shipboard high-energy laser weapon.

It seems pretty clear, the military is going strongly into laser defence systems - at sea, in the air, and on land.

I would suggest that the long term planners of this system were considering a world wide defense system and these are just backyard prototype tests.

It may be that the long term worry is the proper development of something that could protect us from an incoming threat to this planet. Linda

Hi Linda, that thought reminds me of SDI, strategic defence initiative, or Star Wars pushed by former President Reagan, '83 wasn't it?

Defend from space attacks and create a situation for global unification to fight the space enemy (ultimate flag operation maybe too).. Hard telling.

There's not enough energy in the lasers to push away an asteroid or comet.. Microwave EMP can bring down electronics, could possibly disrupt different types of gravity propulsion systems.. And there are MASSIVE gigawatt phased array microwave systems setup across the planet..


ApTnYwh5KvE

[Bob]

Update - After the 30 kilowatt laser(s) have been tested successfully, Navy deploys 150 kilowatt system.

Function: to be able to wipe out "drone swarms" instantaneously.


http://www.militaryaerospace.com/content/mae/en/articles/pt/2016/06/navy-ready-to-move-from-30-to-150-kilowatt-powerful-shipboard-laser-weapon/_jcr_content/leftcolumn/article/headerimage.scale.large.jpg

No doubt this type of laser system will be deployed anywhere "drone swarms" pose a threat, (military bases and key government buildings).

Additional uses: swarming maned attack boats, and incoming missiles, artillery shells, and attack aircraft.

(Link (http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/pt/2016/06/navy-ready-to-move-from-30-to-150-kilowatt-powerful-shipboard-laser-weapon.html))

History


The U.S. military began to show real interest in directed-energy weapons in the 1980s, as part of President Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative.

In its early concept, SDI was seen as using orbiting lasers - first X-ray, then chemical - as part of a layered defense to destroy enemy missiles from launch through the exoatmospheric mid-course phase.

Ultimately, the idea was scrapped for reasons of insufficient beam power and the need for hundreds of satellite-based lasers with low expectations of efficiency.

"We got into solid-state lasers while looking at a commercial application for next-generation photolithography and found we could scale those to tactically relevant powers," Hixson says. "We were the first to demonstrate technology over 100 kilowatts in 2009 on a program called the Joint High Power Solid State Laser [JHPSSL].

"Using that technology, we more recently [2011] demonstrated a maritime laser at sea. We hope to put lasers on surface ships and aircraft for self-defense."


The top leadership of the Army, Navy, and Air Force see high-energy lasers as a primary weapon system in the coming decades - especially with the savings on ammunition, logistics, maintenance, range- and endurance-limiting weight, and high precision with little risk of collateral damage.

In a smaller, budget-constrained military, high-energy lasers are seen as force multipliers, with the ability to "dial" the force of the beam up or down to meet specific mission requirements reducing the need for multiple weapons in theater.

Is the US the only laser weapons developer - no.

There is concern that the U.S. is falling behind rather than leading in the development and fielding of high-energy laser technology.

"Just two weeks ago, [the destroyer] USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98) and her attached helicopter were repeatedly targeted by a laser from an Iranian-flagged merchant vessel. Last week 11 commercial airliners were targeted by lasers in the vicinity of a New Jersey airport," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.

Many other countries are working on offensive and defensive directed-energy weapons.

Israel, China, and Russia, in particular, have invested billions into high-energy laser research.

The Technology -

Fiber and free-electron lasers

Future naval defensive and offensive directed-energy weapons will focus on fiber laser and free-electron laser components.

The Fiber laser system uses multiple modules connected with fiber optics to create a massive high power beam. Fiber optic "amplifier chains" are used as well for boosting the output power.


http://www.ipgphotonics.com/en_uploads/widget/widget_item_791.jpg

http://cc.amazingcounters.com/counter.php?i=3190880&c=9572953