Originally Posted by
ForeverFO
As for drones - it's going to be a while before drones can do real air to air. You can put a missile truck up there, but it's simply not going to be as effective (for now) as manned. The fluidity and dynamics of the air to air arena are just not something you can program. And we still don't have sensors that can scan the immediate sky as good as the human eye. What's a Predator going to do? Slew that little camera around? It's like looking through a paper towel tube.
Just one guy's opinion.
Missiles? Maybe as a stopgap I guess....
Made by Northrop Grumman:
On March 18, 2009 Northrop Grumman announced that its engineers in Redondo Beach had successfully built and tested an electric laser capable of producing a 100-kilowatt ray of light, powerful enough to destroy cruise missiles, artillery, rockets and mortar rounds.[12] An electric laser is theoretically capable, according to Brian Strickland, manager for the United States Army's Joint High Power Solid State Laser program, of being mounted in an aircraft, ship, or vehicle because it requires much less space for its supporting equipment than a chemical laser.[13]
On April 6, 2011, the U.S. Navy successfully tested a laser gun, manufactured by Northrop Grumman, that was mounted on the former USS Paul Foster, which is currently used as the navy's test ship. When engaged during the test that occurred off the coast of Central California in the Pacific Ocean test range, the laser gun was documented as having "a destructive effect on a high-speed cruising target," said Chief of Naval Research Admiral Nevin Carr.[14] While classified, the range of the laser gun is attributed to miles, not yards.
Northrop Grumman has announced the availability of a high-energy solid-state laser weapon system that they call FIRESTRIKE, introduced on 13 November 2008. The system is modular, using 15 kW modules that can be combined to provide various levels of power.