Welcome to the World, Drone-Killing Laser Cannon

[Demeter]

http://www.wired.com/2015/08/welcome-world-drone-killing-laser-cannon/



Hang on to your drone. Boeing’s developed a laser cannon specifically designed to turn unmanned aircraft into flaming wreckage. The aerospace company’s new weapon system, which it publicly tested this week in a New Mexico industrial park, isn’t quite as cool as what you see in Star Wars—there’s no flying beams of light, no “pew! pew!” sound effects. But it is nonetheless a working laser cannon, and it will take your drone down.

People keep flying their drones where they shouldn’t. In airport flight paths. Above wildfires. Onto the White House lawn. Luckily, there haven’t been any really bad incidents—that is, no one has been killed by a civilian quadcopter or plane, yet. But governments and militaries around the world are terrified by the prospect of drones carrying explosives or chemical weapons (and now, pornography) into places where they shouldn’t.

There are lots of theories on the best way to deal with the drone threat. An Idaho company has developed special anti-drone shotgun shells. Some agencies are working on jamming technology to block communication from the operator to the aircraft. Firefighters in New York kept it simple, aiming their hose at a pesky drone hovering near a house fire.

Forget all that. Boeing thinks the best way to kill a drone is to zap it with a precision laser, burn a hole in it, and bring it down. So it created a weapon system to do just that—and the result could someday be installed everywhere from LaGuardia to the Pentagon.

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[cantbeserious]

1. It Was Bound To Happen

eom

[krispos42]

2. This will work until...

... drones are covered in shiny, reflective Mylar.

A 12-gage and #4 bird shot FTW

[Demeter]

3. I like the firehose solution

Simple, quick, ultimately green (except in drought-stricken areas), with plausible deniability....

A good excuse to buy a power washer, IMO!

[krispos42]

4. I don't think power washers have the range.

Maybe they make net shells for shotguns...

[jtuck004]

5. I think another drone, that shoots silly string. All you have to do is foul the props,

screw up the comm gear, something. That would give you the same range they have. And the laws they might get you with are more civil than criminal, especially if you are defending yourself.

I'm thinking one could hire their attack drone out on a consulting basis, to folks who don't like creepy neighbors stalking them with their toys

[jmowreader]

6. No dude, that only swats at the problem

This...



will SOLVE it.

[Demeter]

7. What is that? Some kind of chain saw?

[jmowreader]

8. 20mm Gatling gun, M61 "Vulcan"

Fires six thousand rounds per minute at "high" rate of fire.

[DirkGently]

9. Pornography drones?

Well that didn't take long.