Laser

Laser stands for "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation", or a device that focuses an amplified beam of light on a small surface area. Lasers are popular weapons due to their low cost compared to other energy weapons and because they do not rely on ammunition, which simplifies logistics. Laser rifles are one of the most effective weapons infantry units have when fighting vehicles or 'Mechs.

Standard Lasers

Standard lasers cause damage by firing an intense beam of light at a target, flooding concentrated energy in the form of heat, which can melt material and overwhelm heat-sensitive electronics. The various Clan militaries do not use standard lasers, having phased them out in favor of more advanced laser types. All standard lasers are typically grouped into three broad classes based on their damage potential:

• Small Laser
• Medium Laser
• Large Laser

Binary Laser Cannon

Nicknamed the Blazer, the Binary Laser Cannon was an experimental system widely regarded as a dead end technology. Essentially two standard large laser systems combined to fire at once, the Blazer proved inefficient, combining high heat levels (200% of a Large Laser) with little increase to damage potential (50% increase over standard Large Laser). With the reintroduction of the Double Heat Sink, this technology has re-entered production and relevance, though on a small scale.

Pulse Lasers

Pulse lasers differ from traditional laser weaponry, in that instead of firing one powerful beam, they maintain several laser beams fired off in quick succession. While offering an overall increased rate of fire, the heat output also increases accordingly. Pulse lasers increase damage because they allow vaporized armor to dissipate from the location of damage. This allows subsequent pulses to reach the target area without being diffused by the vapor.

Pulse lasers were initially developed for use by the SLDF during the Star League Era(2450). Like much of the advanced technology of the period, the ability to make pulse lasers was lost to the Inner Sphere during the Succession Wars. It was only with the discovery of the Helm Memory Core that the various Inner Sphere powers could reproduce the technology. Clan pulse lasers, perfected by Clan Nova Cat during the Golden Century, were developed from the original Star League era models and tend to weigh less and shoot farther then comparable Inner Sphere models.

Both the Inner Sphere and Clans use the three most common size of pulse laser (Small, Medium, Large). The Clans also use the Micro Pulse Laser, created by Clan Smoke Jaguar before their Annihilation.

ER Pulse Lasers

The technicians of Clan Wolf were interested in creating an improved pulse laser with extended range. Unlike their Inner Sphere counterparts, who simply pumped more energy into a standard pulse laser, the Wolf techs combined the best features of their Pulse and Extended range lasers to create the ER Pulse Laser family. The events of the Refusal War and the creation of Clan Wolf-in-Exile interrupted production.

Laser Anti-Missile System

The Laser AMS is a prototype technology that marries AMS tracking systems with a modified small pulse laser. It exists in both Clan and Inner Sphere variants.

Variable Speed Pulse Lasers

Developed by Word of Blake technicians, the Variable Speed Pulse Laser (VSP) family have been only been seen on a few units when they first appeared during the Jihad. Similar to a Snub-Nose PPC the VSP inflicts more damage at close range in exchange for a dropoff in damage at longer ranges. Unlike the Snub-Nose PPC, which fires a single bolt of energy, the modified pulse laser system can alter the speed of the pulses fired based on the distance to the target. This allows the Variable Speed Laser to generate more damage and increase the odds of a hit at short range, but the damage and hit probabilities drop off at medium and long range.

Variable Speed Lasers initially were available only to the Word of Blake and Free Worlds League Military in small, medium, and large sizes. After the Jihad, the weapons would soon be used throughout the Inner Sphere by the thirty-second century.

X-Pulse Lasers

X-Pulse Lasers are an attempt by Federated Commonwealth technicians to increase the range of Pulse Lasers to compete with the longer ranges of similar Clan models. X-Pulse lasers are not a new weapon per se, but an upgrade to Pulse Lasers that pushes extra energy through the system in order to extend the range. X-Pulse lasers also build up tremendous heat but this has been considered a necessary drawback for their extended range. The Large, Medium, and Small X-Pulse Lasers are were still in the prototype stage during the Jihad. However, just before the war ended, they would enter limited production in 3078. By 3145, the weapon Class would become standard technology and enter mass production.

Extended Range Lasers

As the name suggests, the Extended-Range (or ER) laser variants increases the power of the beam to project it to much farther ranges. This effect is achieved via three-stage firing process which occurs over the course of nanoseconds. An initial targeting laser pulse is immediately followed by a second, more powerful pulse that destroys dust and other particulates along the firing path, clearing the way for the final full-powered beam to damage the enemy. However the additional power necessary to facilitate this process generates a greatly increased quantity of waste heat as well. The end result is a laser weapon with an approximately 33% greater reach and that generates 50% more waste heat than its standard counterpart.

The first ER laser system, the ER Large Laser, was initially created for use by the Star League and widely produced across the Inner Sphere; development of smaller ER systems was seen as unnecessary and overlapping with previous laser weapons.

Naval Lasers

The Naval Laser (NL) systems used aboard WarShips and planetary defense systems (SDS) are massive versions of the standard laser systems used on 'Mechs and other combat vehicles. In addition their huge size makes them impractical for targeting small craft or AeroSpace Fighters; Like their Naval PPC and Naval Autocannon counterparts they can only target sub-500 ton craft with extreme difficulty. In addition, Naval Lasers were often used in by Terran Hegemony Space Defense Systems to defend important worlds.

Sub-Capital Lasers

Engineers working for the Word of Blake created these weapons in 3073. Derived from the huge Naval Lasers mounted on WarShips, the Sub-Capital Laser family was designed to be used on a DropShip sized platform. These weapons could also be mounted on WarShips, space stations, or be used as part of a Space Defense System.

By mounting these weapons on a Pocket WarShip, the Word of Blake was able to create combat vessels that could challenge WarShips in their own environment. In addition, these Sub-Capital weapons were considerably smaller and less expensive than their larger counterparts, which made repairing a damaged WarShip much easier.

Infantry Laser Weapons

Minuature versions of standard lasers, see the infantry weapons page for information on indivdual infantry lasers:

• Infantry Weapons and Equipment Lists

See Also

• Extended Range Large Laser
• Extended Range Medium Laser
• Extended Range Micro Laser
• Extended Range Small Laser
• Heavy Large Laser
• Heavy Medium Laser
• Heavy Small Laser
• Large Chemical Laser
• Large Laser
• Large Pulse Laser
• Medium Chemical Laser
• Medium Laser
• Medium Pulse Laser
• Micro Pulse Laser
• Small Chemical Laser
• Small Laser
• Small Pulse Laser
• Laser Category

Bibliography

• BattleSpace
• Maximum Tech
• Tactical Operations
• Technical Readout: 2750
• Total Warfare