We literally have high power lasers on air planes. Why not put the generator and lenses on the ground on a tall tower (to get higher over horizon and get more range) and put them around forward bases?
On the ground you can have much bigger generators powering much powerful or more smaller less powerful lasers.
You can have pin point vaporization of peaceful beheaders over kilometers away.
>>34722401
The primary limiting factors of lasers are heat and power. It's more complicated than that but most of the issues come down to these two factors.
The heart of the issue is that lasers tend to be 10 percent efficient or less. This doesn't sound too bad until you realize that all that energy goes somewhere and most of it goes to heating up the laser. So for every watt you send out at the target you get 9 watts into the lasing medium. Good coolant systems can help with this but they're heavy and power intensive and that brings us back to problem #2 power.
SO, lets say you want to shoot some asshole in the head. Shooting at a ground target often means dealing with dust and debris. A bit of fog or sand will cut your already pathetic efficiency in half and the heat from the laser strikes will create updrafts that toss more smoke and dust and steam. Yes steam. You're going to be broiling plants if there are any.
The good news is that if they don't have polarized lenses even a 10 kilowatt range laser will fry their retinas before they can blink. Kinda handy for suppression fire.
Other than that, look into something called THEL. Tactical High Energy Laser is something the army has been working on and they just got a working prototype a few years ago. It's really an air defense platform capable of shooting down cruise missiles or SRBMs. Plausibly, it could take on aircraft but that hasn't been tested.
>>34722401
I'd rather something like a laser anti-mortar, artillery and rocket defence over keeping the great unwashed from shooting at us. Small arms and individuals really aren't that much of a threat compared to shit that can go flying in out of nowhere, they're unpleasant yes, but not exactly something you can't deal with on a much more conventional basis.
MORE FUCKING LASER TOWERS!
>>34722749
ONE MORE
GREAT THREAD
LAZER TOWENRSS !
>>34722814
>>34722749
>>34722814
SHOOF, SHOOF...SHOOF, SHOOF, SHOOF, SHOOF.
CHOUUI CHOUUI CHOUUI!
>>34722401
Drone spam the tower. Snipe the tower.
> No more frickin laser beams.
There is no way to target every single threat to the stationary laser systems.
>>34722898
the lazerz would snipe you first dumbshit jackass
>>34722559
>The good news is that if they don't have polarized lenses even a 10 kilowatt range laser will fry their retinas before they can blink.
Also, that is a war crime.
>>34722749
>>34722814
>>34722832
You are like a little babby, watch this