Tag Archives: tactical laser

F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Too Expensive? Solution: Scrap the F-35A and F-35C Variants, Produce the F-35B STOVL, and Revive the F-22 Raptor.

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com March 15, 2010 Human Events is reporting that the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) fighter/attack aircraft’s per-unit cost has skyrocketed to $112 million, and The New York Times is reporting that the F-35 JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) fighter/attack aircraft has ballooned in cost from 60-90 percent in real …

Read More »

Lasing Skulls in the Digital Age: Tactical Laser Weapons Finally Maturing for Future Warfare Applications: Meet the Boeing ATL (Advanced Tactical Laser) Airborne Laser Weapon

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com October 15, 2009 There’s a scene at the beginning of the 1985 film Real Genius showing a fictional “Crossbow Project” demonstration video of some unlucky bastard (perhaps a third-world dictator or politician?) getting instantly vaporized by a space-based laser weapon fired from a satellite. The video is being shown to a bunch …

Read More »

Viridian Green Laser Sights for Tactical Weapons: Green Beats Red

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com All photographic images contained in this article were taken by DefenseReview.com, and are the exclusive property of DefenseReview.com. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on these photos. All photos were shot with an Olympus Stylus 790 SW 7.1-megapixel digital camera, which is advertised as "shock + waterproof". January 9, 2009 When most people think …

Read More »

U.S. Air Force Having Serious Trouble Keeping F-22 Raptor Pilots

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com October 28, 2008 According to a recent Air Force Times article, the F-22 Raptor has the lowest pilot-retention rate of any U.S. fighter or attack aircraft measured, at a rather abysmal 33%. Compare this to 81% for F-15E Strike Eagle pilots and 68% for F-15 Eagle pilots respectively, and, gentlemen, we’ve got …

Read More »

Deployable Weapons-Grade Solid-State Tactical Lasers by the end of 2008?

By David Crane defrev at gmail dot com September 7, 2008 Laser warfare may be closer than we think. Danger Room and Gizmodo both report that Northrop Grumman is promising the U.S. military that it will have working, deployable weapons-grade solid-state, electric lasers (tactical lasers) ready to go by the end of 2008. Solid-state electric lasers have been making progress …

Read More »

Laser Gunship Fires Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) Against Ground Targets

The following is a Boeing press release: ST. LOUIS, Oct. 13, 2006 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has begun flight testing for the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) program and has generated "first light" of ATL’s high-energy chemical laser in ground tests, achieving two key milestones in the laser gunship development effort. During the "low-power" …

Read More »

DefRev Quick Hits 4 from SHOT Show 2006: More Tactical Goodies

by David Crane david at defensereview.com – Vltor Weapon Systems is now manufacturing Russian-type 7.62mmx54R (7.62x54mm) PKM General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG) for U.S. military forces. It’s our understanding that the Vltor PKMs will be used for familiarization training, and possibly OPFOR (just seems logical). DefRev got to view and handle one of these guns at the Vltor booth, and …

Read More »

New Military-Grade ADT/Oerlikon Contraves Laser Light Module (LLM 01) Tactical IR Laser Aimer/White Light Module Introduced to U.S. Market by Advance Defense Technologies (ADT): British SAS and German KSK (Special Forces) Ready!

February 17, 2006 Last updated on 11/07/12. Photos below are of German KSK (German military Special Forces) and Dutch Special Forces operators with the Oerlikon Contraves Laser Light Module (LLM 01) tactical aiming laser/white light (laser aiming device/tactical white light) attached to their weapons. Click on photos below to view them full-size. The following is a slightly edited Advance Defense Technologies (ADT) …

Read More »

LAMSA Weapons Systems Soldier’s Laser Aimer/Illuminator for SPECOPS

by David Crane david@defensereview.com Click on digital photos to view them full-size. All digital photos accompanying this article were taken by DefenseReview.com, and are the property of DefenseReview.com. DefenseReview recently got a chance to view a few interesting new products at the Larue Tactical booth at SHOT Show 2005. The first are the new LAMSA Weapons Systems/BEAMSHOT/Larue Tactical Soldier's Laser …

Read More »