More hi-tech, space-age weaponry should be either mirrored or chromed for that futuristic look. ESPECIALLY if it involves lasers.

Release the Velociraptors!

I plain language that means they had to get all the bits off the lab bench and put it in a box, and then make it work like it did in the perfect conditions of the lab.

I picture a mad scientist type waving his hands at the suited guys in dark glasses saying something like "yes, yes, take it away, the plans are over there, just leave me alone", while he wrings his hands and mutters "i have something much better in mind now that I know this works"

Mines the one with the sleeves that fasten in the back..

This might be a silly question, but what about mirrors ?

can't you simply point it towards the emitter ?

How sturdy would it have to be, compared to any non reflexive material ?

I think it will fit well in a Death Star.

beefing up their SuperSoldier Exoskeleton thingy. 1.5 tonnes + power is gonna need big legs to make mobile.

Luckily that big shiny box doesn't yet look like it can fit in a T-800 frame...

Unless you're going to mount it in a Mark V Ogre, this is too big, too heavy, too hot and too energy hungry for a mobile land platform.

Instead mount it in the Navy's DD(X) and trade the effective long range firepower of those big guns for a flashlight that will slowly annoy the enemy to death.

Demonstrated end of this Feb.

In experimental military weapons project land isn't that virtually on schedule.

Portable. The concept is relative, as anyone who carried a "portable PC" in the 1980's knows. In any case, 1.5 tonnes is far better than the 20-tonne COIL chemo-beamer. If there is a linear relationship between weight and power, an electrical 1MW laser should weigh about 15 tonnes. That should adequate to toast friendly forces in short order.

So... when will they produce a solar/wind powered one?

Seriously, the only places we're thinking of fighting with at the moment are fairly sunny places, so solar power would be ideal!!

... will NOT be praising our laser wielding War-Lords!

Sharks with head mounted lasers are not enough for you, it has to be sharks with 100KW, Battle tank wrecking lasers !

Friggin'upgrade freek ! 8)

Is some sort of shark capable of generating 500kW. Perhaps some sort of shark/eel hybrid will do the trick?

The unit is more portable than you think.

500KW is easy to produce with roughly a 700hp gas turbine.. about 2 feet long, 1.5 feet diameter (0.6m x 0.3m). The generator portion is going to be the heavy portion, probably 3 feet long by 2 foot depending upon phase/voltage req as well as req on frequency stability. Can try air core instead of iron for weight and size savings.. but some loss in efficiency.

1.5tons, 3000 lbs or 1364kg is not too hard either. Only problem I see is potentially the size(footprint), aiming mechanism and how fast the power needs to ramp up when firing.

There are several helicopters that can carry 3000lbs/1364kg... not to mention planes. Much smaller footprint than a Boeing 747..

BTW - blackhawk UH-60As have empty weight 4819kg, max takeoff at 9185kg.. Usable combat lift is about 3000kg+/- or 6,600lbs.+/-

--- anonymous because I see black helicopters..

Keep in mind that today's M1 battle tanks weigh in at about 62 tons. And they go reallly fast (best off-road vehicle that I know). Now the kit (generator, etc) could be mounted in a supplementary vehicle, but it's kind of like an artillery or even a machine gun crew (some coordination required).

Not a flame, but simply the fires of war.

... But me thinks a death ray box should be matte black.

Before they compact it enough to be a laser sword :-)

Mines the black cloak with hood

I picture this floating in space, emitting pain.

Surely this would be good for a warship? You could put several off them on a ship, and power them from a nuclear reactor? Dunno what you would use it for once you had it on there though, perhaps a spot of 21st Century Dynamite fishing? Or burning cooking greenpeace protesters as if they were ants.

Just don't let the neds get hold of one!!

Mine's the jjd puffer jacket, with trackies and baseball cap.

As any fule kno, lasers are not the weapon of choice for our future exoskeleton-enabled death-dispensing overlords. What they need are plasma beams, disruptor arrays or even photon torpedoes.

Rest assured my fellow meatsack underlings, we are safe for the time being.

...or does look a bit like an morbidly obese Cylon?

Yes alright, I'm going.

In case of accident strike laser cutoff switch with remaining hand.

Obviously the chrome plated version is for the "leisure pharmaceuticals" trade; also available in Battleship Grey, Air Force Blue and Khaki.

welcome our Bolo-driving overlords.

I just want one powerful enough to take care of the speed cameras..... la la la la la

1.5 tonnes is equal to 1500 kg., or about 3307 lb. That's just shy of 1.5 tons, which is probably why "tonne" is used as an alias for a megagram: because 2205 lb. (= 1000 kg.) is close enough to 2240 lb. (= 1 ton) that it doesn't make much difference -- and anyone who's still weighing stuff in pounds doesn't care about accuracy anyway.