Secret Soviet laser tank 1K17

[alexz]

In 1990 the body of the machine was built and after the tests wass added to the army in 1992. the developers received the National Prize once again. That was the time when the USSR was 10 years forward in the lasers construction in comparison to other countries.



http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2...-technologies/

[dbamil]

In 1990 the body of the machine was built and after the tests wass added to the army in 1992. the developers received the National Prize once again. That was the time when the USSR was 10 years forward in the lasers construction in comparison to other countries.



http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2...-technologies/

I understand that the purpose of this tank was to blind enemy soldiers. This was NOT the first time this was attempted. UK naval vessels had such systems, to try to defend incoming jets. I read about it in "One Hundred Days: The Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander". Yes in Falklands conflict. Most of you were not even born yet.

[khalifah]

thats a monster of a support system. I wonder what kind of battery power was needed.

heres some info i gathered,...

the 1K17 tank—which used 66-pound synthetic ruby rods at the heart of its laser system—wasn't designed to destroy enemy fighters. Its objective was to blind pilots and weapons systems, dazzling optical and electronic mechanisms even under the most severe weather conditions.

http://gizmodo.com/5715192/the-secret-soviet-laser-tank

[CaptMorgan68]

I understand that the purpose of this tank was to blind enemy soldiers. .

not quite

http://otvaga2004.narod.ru/publ_w7_2010/0033_laser.htm

google translation:

It was a complex of new generation with automatic search and guidance on glossy object multichannel laser radiation (solid-state laser on aluminum oxide Al2O3) in which a small portion of aluminum atoms substituted by trivalent chromium, or simply - in a ruby crystal. To create a population inversion using optical pumping, ie, lighting, crystal, ruby powerful flash of light. Rubin shaped into a cylindrical rod whose ends carefully polished, silver-plated, and serve as a mirror for the laser. To highlight the ruby rod used pulsed xenon discharge flash lamp, through which the discharged battery of high voltage capacitors. Flash lamp has the shape of a spiral tube, twine around the ruby rod. Under the action of powerful light pulse in a ruby rod creates a population inversion, and thanks to the mirrors, lasing is excited, the duration of which slightly less than the duration of the flash lamp pumping. Especially for the "compression" has been grown artificial crystal weighing about 30 kg - "laser gun" in this sense cost "a lot of money." New installation required large amounts of energy. For its power powerful generators, battery-powered auxiliary power unit (APU) was used.

[alexz]

It was a complex of new generation with automatic search and guidance on glossy object multichannel laser radiation (solid-state laser on aluminum oxide Al2O3) in which a small portion of aluminum atoms substituted by trivalent chromium

That's exactly what I suspected.

[Flagg]

I vaguely recall the US having a system in development to blind enemy optics(and their operators) with the acronym CLAW or somesuch....I think I recall it being cancelled for being inhumane.

[Veni Valboro]

that's exactly what i suspected.

........lmfao!

[Damian90]

Flagg

I vaguely recall the US having a system in development to blind enemy optics(and their operators) with the acronym CLAW or somesuch....I think I recall it being cancelled for being inhumane.

They had many systems, one laser defence system was even fielded in limited numbers in combat during ODS on some M2 IFV's, it was AN/VLQ-7 Active Protection System, that scanned field with one laser beam to search enemy optics, and with secojd stronger beam it destroyed these optics... it was however put back in magazines and was not seen later because of concerns about blinding humans.

[dbamil]

I vaguely recall the US having a system in development to blind enemy optics(and their operators) with the acronym CLAW or somesuch....I think I recall it being cancelled for being inhumane.

I guess that makes UK Royal navy is inhuman since they had laser devices to blind human eyes installed on their ships during the Falklands war.

[para944]

Ok that's just for the record. (Obviously the DIA was aware of the Development of lasers by the Soviet's)



So has the 1K17 ever been used in some conflict?

[[WDW]Megaraptor]

I guess that makes UK Royal navy is inhuman since they had laser devices to blind human eyes installed on their ships during the Falklands war.

These were later banned by international treaty, correct?

[bravosixniner]

In 1990 the body of the machine was built and after the tests wass added to the army in 1992. the developers received the National Prize once again. That was the time when the USSR was 10 years forward in the lasers construction in comparison to other countries.



http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2...-technologies/

Funny thing is before the Russian article that Gizmodo found and that's all over the net. I found this same picture in a thread several weeks ago on this very board, where the poster asked it to be identified. Gizmodo didn't do their homework and just took the Russian article and summarized it. Even though our posters had been revealing this so called "secret" way before Gizmodo got to it. But of course the press loves hype.

[Climber]

I guess that makes UK Royal navy is inhuman since they had laser devices to blind human eyes installed on their ships during the Falklands war.

Source? It was used?


I researched the war extensively and AFAIK no Argentine resulted with that kind of injury.