US Navy is developing LASERS for submarines that could ‘disable drones and blow up small boats’
- The US Navy is reportedly developing lasers for submarines, new report claims
- Lasers would be able to disable guidance systems on drones and ignite the fuel and munitions on small boats
- Submarines would almost certainly attack targets above sea level, experts say
- The Navy has not commented on such technologies, which wouldn’t even be an option for at least another three years
The US Navy is reportedly arming nuclear submarines with lasers that will be capable of disabling drones and blowing up small boats.
According to a report from Popular Mechanics, the Navy has plans to arm the Virginia-class nuclear submarines with high-energy lasers.
Despite the fact that lasers don’t work under water, experts say that adding a laser onto a submarine isn’t entirely impossible, but it would ‘require innovative designs’.
Researcher, Sidharth Kaushal, told the outlet that lasers put on the Virginia-class submarines, which are generally used for intelligence gathering, would have to attach to the sub’s photonics mast, which is a sensor that functions similarly to a periscope.
The US Navy is reportedly arming nuclear submarines (file image) with lasers that will be capable of disabling drones and blowing up small boats
Despite the fact that lasers don’t work under water, experts say that adding a laser onto a submarine isn’t entirely impossible, but it would ‘require innovative designs’. This image shows a demonstration of the laser technology
Attaching the lasers to the photonics mast will almost certainly attack targets above sea level.
The lasers would reportedly be less detectable. That could prove very useful during covert missions.
Making this type of technology work on a submarine would also require a beam director and something to draw power from the nuclear reactor, according to Pop Mech.
The beam director will keep the beam focused on a target.
In order to generate the power for the laser, Pop Mech says a ‘subsafe’ connection is required to allow a hole to be made in the hull.
A 2017 proposal shows that such a technology has already been developed by Triton Systems and will be ready to be deployed in 2020.
Researcher, Sidharth Kaushal, said that lasers put on the Virginia-class submarines, which are generally used for intelligence gathering, would have to attach to the sub’s photonics mast (pictured), which is a sensor that functions similarly to a periscope
‘Triton Systems pruposes to develop innovative SUBSAFE hull penetrator technology to connect HEL weapon system subcomponents through a submarine pressure hull to facilitate the integration of a HEL weapon system on VIRGINIA Class submarines,’ the abstract of the proposal reads.
The company said there are some risks associated with getting power from the laser source to the masthead, ‘but the proposed penetrator and cable assembly addresses these risks through design, modeling, prototyping, and test’.
But until these technologies are installed on the submarines, for testing purposes, an electrical generator will be required.
The Navy has not commented on such technologies, which wouldn’t even be an option for at least another three years.