The MHTEL Laser (Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser)
The MHTEL Laser
(Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser)
It is a mobile, high-energy laser system emitting in the infrared spectrum, developed by Northrop Grumman, the same company that produces the famous B-2 bomber. The video below, taken from the company's website, shows the laser in action, capable of destroying projectiles such as shells or rockets fired from "Stalin's Organs" while they are in flight—both projectiles traveling at supersonic speeds.
http://www.st.northropgrumman.com/media/VideoInfo.cfm?VideoID=19
My comment:
Of course, this is very spectacular. It reflects the Americans' unwavering confidence in purely technological solutions. In this video, we can see that the laser managed to destroy the projectile during its ballistic trajectory, although not instantaneously. The key performance lies in target acquisition and continuous tracking of the projectile by the laser. That said, this was a demonstration shot, almost certainly conducted under optimal conditions. The system's power output diminishes with the square of the distance, meaning it's less effective over longer ranges. In this test, everything was likely arranged "to perfection" from a ballistic standpoint, and similarly under ideal meteorological conditions (no cloud cover, minimal air turbulence). The real issue remains the system's reliability in actual combat. What if the enemy attacks with a battery of Katyushas (the famous "Stalin's Organs")? The rate of fire would then be extremely high. The same could apply to shell barrages. To saturate a laser-based defense system, an attacker would simply need to fire multiple projectiles simultaneously at a single target. The defense would quickly become ineffective, as it would require as many active lasers as there are shells or rockets fired. What if the weather is cloudy, or if strong ground-level air turbulence disperses the laser's energy during a direct shot?
One thing is certain: this product will further enrich the military-industrial complex that produces it. It reminds me of the title of a book by Jean Lartéguy, at the time when the Americans took over the Indochina War:
A million dollars per Vietnamese
Back to Guide Back to Homepage
Number of page views since April 14, 2005: