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| -Short Attention Span Theater- | |
| Warfare at the speed of light | |
| 2003-10-20 | |
| -EFL- Check out the whole article, interesting stuff... In Bob Yamamoto’s lab, light devours. He straps on emerald green goggles. A technician stabs a fire button and calls out the computer countdown. "Three ... two ... one ..." Then ... nothing. Just a buzz of electronics and an ephemeral glow in this darkened room at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. But inside Yamamato’s target chamber, a block of steel spits flame and molten metal. In those two seconds, 400 blasts of light poured into slabs of clear, manmade garnet. Swollen in energy, the crystal’s atoms then unleashed torrents of infrared light to ricochet 1,000 times between two mirrors and multiply, finally escaping as 400 pulses of pure, square beam. Kilowatt for kilogram, this is the world’s most powerful solid-state laser. Its invisible beam drilled Yamamoto’s inch-thick steel plate in two seconds. Add larger crystals and it will eat steel a mile or more away.
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| Posted by:---------<<<<-- |
| #14 Another nice thing is that lasers go through human flesh alot easier than bullets. We have far cheaper ways of targeting humans and ground vehicles that involve area weapons - i.e. bombs and missiles. I suspect mobile lasers are going to be used as anti-missile or anti-artillery round weapons, given that this is where split-second response times are a factor. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2003-10-20 11:54:07 PM |
| #13 I think the nice thing about this weapon is the ability to instantaneously hit the target. There are no issues with the ballistic characteristics of the target changing in mid flight because the hit is instantaneous. Another nice thing is that lasers go through human flesh alot easier than bullets. Plus you don't have to worry about the bullet stopping short of vital organ. |
| Posted by: Charles 2003-10-20 10:47:23 PM |
| #12 With atmospherics and trying to hit the target square, you would think it would be more effective to hit the target with a stream of lead. I think the nice thing about this weapon is the ability to instantaneously hit the target. There are no issues with the ballistic characteristics of the target changing in mid flight because the hit is instantaneous. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2003-10-20 9:37:06 PM |
| #11 The technology to keep something "locked-on" has been around for a while. In fact, most of it was around when we were still using vacuum tubes in radar. When you start locking on with that type of power, it could get interesting. With atmospherics and trying to hit the target square, you would think it would be more effective to hit the target with a stream of lead. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-10-20 8:27:46 PM |
| #10 Remember that old Star Trek episode where McCoy goes back in time and his phaser disintegrates that hobo? This would be just as cool. |
| Posted by: Baltic Blog 2003-10-20 7:05:13 PM |
| #9 One hopes that when we reach the point where we're so advanced that we can conquer a medium sized country with only ten American soldiers, Rummy doesnt decide that only ten soldiers are enough to occupy the country ;) Many of these programs will come to fruition long after Rumsfeld is no longer Defense Secretary. The truth is that new soldiers can be enlisted and trained up within six months, but coming up with new weaponry takes a good while longer. This is why Rumsfeld is emphasizing the material over the men - in an emergency, fresh troops can be drafted, but we go to war with the weapons we have. Given the manpower superiority of a country like China, we never want to fight them on anything like equal terms. A full-blown missile defense system would also be nice - for once the Russians wouldn't be able to threaten us with Armageddon. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2003-10-20 6:26:14 PM |
| #8 "Weapons programs like this are probably why Rumsfeld is looking to reduce the size of the military - we need to spend more money on getting the weaponry needed to once again leapfrog any potential adversaries" One hopes that when we reach the point where we're so advanced that we can conquer a medium sized country with only ten American soldiers, Rummy doesnt decide that only ten soldiers are enough to occupy the country ;) |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-10-20 5:12:47 PM |
| #7 it has to be held trained on the same spot on a moving target. OR a single armor piercing tank round. Keeping it trained on that spot will require the assistance of targeting electronics - in that respect, it's really no different from a Hellfire missile that acquires a moving target and takes it out. The difference is that unlike in a missile, which self-destructs, the targeting electronics on a laser weapon can be used over and over again. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2003-10-20 4:25:51 PM |
| #6 Has great potential for interplanetary space flight. One theoretical space craft invisions use of what is called a Solar sail.In essence a huge sail made from Mylar(or simaler material)that use the solar wind to push a spacecraft.Much like wind does here on Earth.Problems are it would take a huge sail to make it a viable method of propulsion,and slow acceleration curve.Using a laser would allieviate these problems. |
| Posted by: Raptor 2003-10-20 4:19:35 PM |
| #5 meh. beam of light that takes 2 seconds to go through a meer inch of steel, takes a HUGE amount of energy and to be effective against non-infantry it has to be held trained on the same spot on a moving target. OR a single armor piercing tank round. lasers are useless in combat (excepting the blinding ones and missle defense) should be spending that money on robots |
| Posted by: dcreeper 2003-10-20 3:25:26 PM |
| #4 Weapons programs like this are probably why Rumsfeld is looking to reduce the size of the military - we need to spend more money on getting the weaponry needed to once again leapfrog any potential adversaries. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2003-10-20 1:34:54 PM |
| #3 Not to mention tell our enemies how to do it too. |
| Posted by: Charles 2003-10-20 1:09:30 PM |
| #2 mojo - all of that would make it "Long Attention Span Theater." |
| Posted by: PBMcL 2003-10-20 11:30:12 AM |
| #1 Puff piece. Where's the data? How many watts/mm^2? What accuracy? Recharge time? |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-10-20 11:25:50 AM |