One of the limitations of this technology is that it requires a huge amount of power to produce a laser with enough power to be destructive. While the sci-fi world’s ray guns aren’t perfect, there are laser weapons. These are most commonly used to draw spots to blind the sensors of a target or missiles coming from the target to target a weapon. Yet, super-powerful lasers that can act as weapons on their own have been around for years.
The US Navy plans to supply its nuclear sub with laser weapons
When lasers work well on water, traveling at the speed of light, they are not as effective under waves. Ordinary light diffuses into the water and fails to penetrate too far, especially at deep depths, so that the dense light of a laser is scattered and absorbed into the water.
Laser weapons will probably be used above the surface of the water which suddenly makes much more sense. So, why on earth would the Navy plan to add laser weapons to famous ships to be completely submerged in the big blue? Well, according to popular mechanics, weapon systems will probably be connected to sub-photonics masts – sensors at the top of a submarine that can get out of the water while the body of the craft is underwater.
Another challenge for laser weapons is the amount of power they need. That’s why the U.S. Navy only seems to be planning to attach them to a class of nuclear submarines known as the Virginia class. A project is currently underway to determine how best to attach a laser weapon system to a sub-nuclear engine and by the end of this year. “One of the major shortcomings of HELS (High Energy Lasers) is their fuel requirements, something that, if placed in nuclear-powered submarines, would have everything on board creating enough power to operate them, said Siddhartha Royal United. David Humbling of Popular Mechanics, a Fellow of C Power at the Services Institute, said.
