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2026-03-29 Europe

German city wary as Volkswagen weighs shifting car plant to Iron Dome production

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Posted by trailing wife 2026-03-29 2026-03-29 04:53|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [1830 views ] Top

1 Detection and tracking is the same I suppose.

I wonder why industry isn't going whole hog after battle laser missile defense?

Posted by Skidmark 2026-03-29 06:52|| 2026-03-29 06:52|| Front Page Top

2 [AI]
Why Industry No Pursuing Battle Lasers

Industry is actively pursuing battle lasers, with the US Department of Defense spending **$1 billion annually** on directed energy weapons and major programs like the UK's **DragonFire** (expected in service by 2027) and the US Navy's **HELCAP** and **HELSI** initiatives moving from prototype to deployment. However, widespread adoption faces significant hurdles including **atmospheric interference** (fog, dust, rain), **thermal management** challenges, and the **high cost** of power generation and cooling systems which currently limits their effectiveness against large threats like anti-ship cruise missiles.

While lasers offer **low cost-per-shot** and speed-of-light engagement for counter-drone and short-range defense, they often fail to replace conventional missiles for long-range or all-weather missile defense due to **insufficient power** and the need for prolonged **dwell time** on targets. Many promising systems have historically fallen into the **"valley of death"** between R&D and acquisition because of **engineering integration issues**, **beam coherence** problems, and a lack of consistent transition planning between research programs and operational needs.

* **Power and Size**: High-power lasers require bulky machinery and massive energy storage, making them difficult to integrate into mobile platforms without compromising mobility.
* **Environmental Sensitivity**: Laser beams can be scattered or absorbed by weather conditions, rendering them unreliable in rain, fog, or dusty environments compared to kinetic weapons.
* **Economic Viability**: Current laser systems are often more expensive per unit than existing interceptors for low-volume threats, only becoming cost-effective against high-volume drone swarms.

Well, there we have it.

Posted by Skidmark 2026-03-29 06:54|| 2026-03-29 06:54|| Front Page Top

3 The US Army is already ditching its most powerful laser weapon yet

Posted by Skidmark 2026-03-29 06:55|| 2026-03-29 06:55|| Front Page Top

4 I checked labor statistics to see whether Germany had a lot of Arab in the work force. 70% of their immigrants are employed. That surprised me.

Posted by Super Hose 2026-03-29 12:10|| 2026-03-29 12:10|| Front Page Top

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