Ionatron building laser guided energy weapons for US Navy

Apparently, the the artillery development budget for the US Navy is bursting at the seams, as the branch is complimenting the myriad of other dazzling weapons that it's collaboratively developing with a LGE-based rendition from Ionatron. The company, which focuses on developing "directed energy weapons," has recently landed a contract just shy of $10 million in order to "fund the development of an advanced Ultra Short Pulse Laser, physics modeling related to laser guided energy requirements, a transportable demonstrator, and effects testing." The firm's website compares its devices to that of "man-made lightning," useful in disabling "people or vehicles that threaten our security." Moreover, it was noted that both lethal and non-lethal versions are available, but we've no idea when this literal lightning in a bottle will end up hitting the test floor (or some poor sap's torso) in Los Alamos.

[Via El Reg]

[Mike @ Apr 26th 2007 8:26AM]

A ship based directed energy weapon? How is this worth the cost of development? Naval battles are a thing of the past, these are the days of air superiority so ship to ship can't be the goal...and unless a ship can arch its weapons overland to support ground troops then what good will it be? Energy weapons have horrible range and shoot in straight lines.

[Thomas S @ Apr 26th 2007 9:16AM]

Thats what the giant space mirrors are for... duh

[cade @ Apr 26th 2007 9:29AM]

Last time I looked the Navy still had planes

[Chocolate Starfish @ Apr 26th 2007 9:42AM]

What better place for a line-of-sight weapon than the ocean? There are no trees, no hills, no buildings, and no obstructions. Fit one of these on a quick, fast stealth boat and use it to sink whole air-craft carriers (lots of assumptions on size and power...). Naval battles may have been a "thing of the past." Something like this makes them relevant again.

[SugarDaddy @ Apr 26th 2007 9:58AM]

They can use them to shoot down planes. Duh.

[Warhorse @ Apr 26th 2007 10:29AM]

Sounds like there can be many useful applications with this.

[David @ Apr 26th 2007 10:48AM]

Wow, hightech laser guns, that's great but, can it stop a suicide car bomber???

[ADixon @ Apr 26th 2007 11:01AM]

Wow, so they are going to build the lightning gun from Unreal Tournament?

*HEADSHOT*

[bmitsuda @ Apr 26th 2007 1:06PM]

I would think directed energy weapons would be very usful against anti-ship missles (one of the Navy's biggest threats) and possibly even ballistic missles. Obviously they would work against any planes as well.

I dont see the energy weapons available being effective against something as large as a ship but maybe they will surprise us.

[Matt @ Apr 26th 2007 11:39AM]

"Sounds like there can be many useful applications with this."

Leave it to the US to find new ways to kill their imaginary enemies.

[DorianGray @ Apr 26th 2007 12:17PM]

@Matt

Please, tell me you're joking. Or that you're 12. Because if you're not, you're a farking assbag.

[Matt @ Apr 26th 2007 6:02PM]

What an intelligent post!

I stand by what I said.

[headsh0tshurt @ Apr 26th 2007 11:46AM]

*yawn*

wake me when they make a chainsaw gun ;)

[macona @ Apr 26th 2007 12:53PM]

Sounds like they are using a laser to ionize a path in the atmosphere at send high voltage down it.

AKA Ion Cannon from Star Wars.

Not so much a destructive weapon as a disabling weapon. Frys all the electrical systems in its target.

[James @ Apr 26th 2007 1:44PM]

Wow, 8 whole posts before the leftards came out of the woodwork. I think that's better than Engadget's average...

On a more pertinent note, nobody said anywhere that these were meant to be ship-based. It would be cool if they proved to be effective as anti-aircraft, but the mention of "people" suggests that it would be used against targets on land, either on a land-based vehicle, or perhaps on a jet fighter. I agree with the general sentiment in previous posts, though, that our primary Defense concern right now is probably more to do with counter-insurgency and less with targeting large, expensive vehicles like planes or ships.