On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:51:27 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm,
Ignoramus15257 quickly quoth:

On 2008-08-21, Larry Jaques novalidaddress@di wrote:
On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:05:49 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm,
Ignoramus15257 quickly quoth:

Picture is here

http://lenta.ru/news/2008/08/20/heltd/

Story is here

http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/...80819a_nr.html

If it could quickly shoot down fast moving things such as artillery
shells, I think that it will be very revolutionary.

I want to know how many _satellite_ kills will happen as a result of
testing the lasers. Um, OOPS!

The idea sounds like fun, but do not forget that energy per square
inch is the inverse of the square of distance. Ie, if the gun can
develop so much power at the distance of 1/2 mile, it can only develop
1/160,000 that power, per square inch, at the distance of 200
miles. And that does not even cound scattering of light and
absorption by atmosphere.

True, I hadn't thought that laser output diminished that rapidly, but
satellites and their instruments/solar panels are much more sensitive
than the normal target.


Now, damaging planes, that's a lot more realistic.

Yeah, especially when multiple rounds are being sought and a plane
enters their pattern search...


I also wonder if the gun would work as well if the projectiles had
mirror finish.

Good question. "Paint yer bullets white, boys. The laser can't touch
'em!" g


Personally I think that it is a great technology.

Ditto. Much more sane than wasting hundreds or thousands of
projectiles as the CIWS and other gatling guns do. (Although these are
much more fun to watch in action!) http://tinyurl.com/5oo3ux


On another note, I recall other research in the field of some sort of
psychotropic weapons, that could make enemy soldiers **** their pants
and flee the battlefield just due to those psychotropic effect. That's
a very humane way of winning wars, if it works out.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwww!


Maybe the Russians used something along these lines, against the
Georgians.

???


--
It is pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness;
poverty and wealth have both failed.
-- Kin Hubbard