[rootcage]

ATM the biggest problem for LRAD is cost, you fire a $12K Patriot missile to intercept what is either a $40 million jet or a $300 drone. This is revolutionary.

[ompaLompa]

A single patriot missile is estimated to cost $4 million USD

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/patriot-missile-ukraine-explain...

[slt2021]

Directed energy (laser) will solve this issue, so that Patriots are only engaged for expensive planes, while lasers will destroy drones and cheap ballistic rockets

[dralley]

No, lasers will not be a sufficient defense against ballistic missiles. Lasers require time to burn through the target. With ballistic missiles, they're facing a target traveling 5+ times the speed of sound (ie. little time), that also has heat shielding on the bit that's facing the target. Not to mention adverse weather conditions. And missiles w

Lasers will, however, be very effective at SHORAD, especially against cheap drones, rockets, artillery shells and cruise missiles, in the proper conditions. Iron Beam is projected to cost $0.50-$1.00 in electricity per shot, compared to a $50-60k Iron Dome interceptor missile (which is already insanely cheap for what it is).

[missedthecue]

They will not solve this issue because laser weapons will not work when light is defracted (fog, heavy clouds, rain), and they will not work against targets beyond the horizon. It's not a technology hurdle, it's a physics impossibility.

Interceptor missiles are here to stay. Lasers will accompany them but never replace.

[slt2021]

There is still benefit in shooting laser at a speed of light, instead of a guided rocket which travels at 2-3 Machs at best.

2 machs is ~0.686 km/s - vs 300k km/s for laser.

and laser can be mounted on a plane, which makes it even more dangerous for air2air combat

[Maxion]

Lasers won't really be used in A2A, except for maybe intercepting missiles and drones.

There's not really any A2A going on anymore within visual range.

[ElectronCharge]

You speak with certainty, when you clearly have little knowledge on the topic.

Stealth aircraft are immune to targeting radar guided lock except at quite close range. IR missiles are better, but are generally not BVR.

Also, at high altitude “within laser range” could be at “BVR” type ranges, e.g. over eighty km.

[SeanAnderson]

and the drones are apparently $50k not $300!

[xyzzyz]

$12k Patriot missile? You are off a couple whole orders of magnitude.

[yakshaving_jgt]

Maybe it’s a Black Friday deal.

At that price, even I would buy one!

[chaosite]

Iron Dome missiles reportedly cost $60k, and that is considered cheap.

[richardw]

Aren’t they using guns to fight cheap drones, at least for cities in Ukraine ? Eg Gepard.

[murkt]

Gepard is a specialized anti-air vehicle with a radar and pretty expensive shells. Very effective and cheaper than Patriot/NASAMS/IRIS-T missiles, but not really cheap. It’s mainly used on the outskirts of big cities, AFAIK.

When intercepting drones and rockets in a middle of nowhere, what’s often used is a regular machine gun that’s mounted on a pickup truck.

[15155]

What goes up must come down, including the unexploded ordnance these systems produce. Not ideal for use in populated environments.

[m4rtink]

The better AA autocanon shells actually have a timed airburst fuze (set at firing time!) so only small fragments should be raining down (for non-dud shells).

[Maxion]

Ukraine is using everything that they can get their hands on - regardless of how effective it actually is.

Gepards have pretty short range in comparison to any missile system.

[rapsey]

Is this going to be less than $12K? Looks pretty expensive to me.

[momojo]

Are you saying this fills a niche?