Reflected radiation? And Comments on above
Could not one of these "doomed" jets simply have 1) radar, having a good idea of where such potential large laser guns are, 2) angled fuselages, with such materials that could deflect laser which are, after all, electromagnetic radiation - ? Ostensibly soldiers could wear reflective gear, scattering much of the laser light, possibly back in the shooter's eye.
And to above, ion-argon? Is that a fiber laser?
Next, do we know the efficiency of fiber lasers? 5%?
What of ultra-capacitors for laser discharge?
Not to poop on the party, but I'd rather we in the states didn't send so much of our tax revenue to DARPA, so they can blow it on anything remotely related to the military. A lot of things discovered in 'unrelated' research prove to be useful in times of national defense. Read about Chime Wiseman (sp?). You can't accurately predict what'll be useful in a future fight, i.e., this is highly inefficient funding - the Pentagon would probably get more useful, novel weaponry and such by funding general research.
But maybe it all makes for a good show to boggin-bloggers outside the states...
Biting the hand that feeds IT
