These systems are huge, so you might get them in a drone but it would be a large target as in the size of 20 seat business jet to a full 747.
Line of sight is ed: Nm.
Line of sight is ed: Nm.
not really - 10kw laser diode pack is something like laptop size. 35kw (as we have 30% electric to light conversion efficiency) light-duty generator with small motorbike engine - like another 70 kg. Add some other pieces - total will be under 100Kg.
Anyway, as a first approximation if you’re dumping X energy on target with a 30% efficacy laser using a 30% efficient generator your net efficiency is at most 9%. So, you need to dump 11 times as much energy as you can get on the target. This is why most early designs focused on chemical lasers.
Pretty sure the obstacles to positioning the drone/mirror precisely enough (and keeping the mirror clean enough) would be insurmountable, but couldn't help wondering.
Also, if you can build a mirror to bounce the laser you can use that same mirror to protect the target. But, N beams and N mirrors sidesteps this issue.
PS: An amusing idea is to use a fleet of drones with mirrors to cook the target using sunlight.
Also, if you can build a mirror to bounce the laser you can use that same mirror to protect the target.
For example the target can use a high deflection angle to disperse the beam. AKA you beam's intensity is sin X and as it covers 1 / (sin X) area. So full intensity = 90 degrees, and at 10 degrees your down to 17.4% intensity. For something like a Mortar rotation can also be a significant benefit.
>any dust on the mirrored surface would get burned in, and lead to the destruction of the target even faster than with a non-reflective surface.