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U.S. Navy to Deploy Rail Guns by 2011

Posted by michael on from the warporn dept.

Walter Francis writes "The U.S. Navy has apparently been busy. They have been focusing heavily on the next generation of weapons and propulsion systems, including Microwave, Laser, and Electromagnetic-Kinetic weapons, more commonly known as railguns. What specifically surprised me was the fact that the Navy plans to deploy these systems as early as 2011, on their DD(X) frigates. The range of these rail guns is estimated to be over 250 miles."

9 of 1,172 comments (clear)

  1. Range by hawkbug · · Score: 0, Troll

    Ok, so range - 250 miles? What happens if they miss the target... some random object/person gets blasted 250 miles down the road? Yeah, that sounds like a great idea...

    1. Re:Range by rainman_bc · · Score: 1, Troll

      Acceptable risk? Guess you've never lost a family member to stray fire have you? Would you claim acceptable cost then?
      Acceptable risk is a retarded US Military saying.
      It's like you sitting in front of your TV and saying 10,000 dead Iraqi civillians and 5,000 dead Iraqi militari personnel is an acceptable cost. Ask the families of those 15,000 people.

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    2. Re:Range by Rei · · Score: 0, Troll

      Progress: Because spending half of the world's total military spending isn't enough!

      or....

      Because 500-600 billion dollars per year, when you add it all together, is best spent blowing things up!

      --
      I just invaded Grammar Czechoslovakia and duped Grammar Neville Chamberlain; now it's on to Grammar Poland.
    3. Re:Range by flyonthewall · · Score: 0, Troll

      The 250 mile range is the ballistic range: a miss means something near the target gets pulped

      So what? We all know that the navy only fires at ennemy targets in ennemy territory! Besides, if some collateral damage happens, then they must be the ennemy as they live(d) in ennemy territory? /duck.

      --
      "The avalanche has already started. It's too late for the pebbles to vote." - Kosh
  2. pumping billions to kill dozens by boulat · · Score: 0, Troll

    back in 70's they spent trillions of dollars on ICBMs.. and today we have an ever-growing desire to develop more efficient weapons of mass destruction..

    i wonder if people gone mad.

  3. Re:Leaving the term "Superpower" behind. by Macrat · · Score: 0, Troll

    " how do you protect your populace versus terrorist who don't play by normal rules?"

    Simple.

    You just invade Iraq again.....

  4. Re:Respawn by Dr+Caleb · · Score: 0, Troll
    I've always wondered; Muslim radicals are promised 72 virgins in Heaven if they Martyr themselves. What if they are virgins because they're f-ugly?

    --
    "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." Mark Twain
  5. Re:Tactical Flexibility by myowntrueself · · Score: 0, Troll

    "In addition, pilots provide intelligence"

    Intelligence?

    Considering the amount of 'friendly fire' incidents involving US airmen, this is a dubious claim...

    --
    In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
  6. What The F*CK? by dborod · · Score: 1, Troll

    It is stunningly stupefacting that the American military-industrial complex is still so deeply entrenched in the power structures, that even without the merest shadow of a credible enemy (for well over a decade), the warmongers are able to gobble up billions of dollars to continue to improve the ability to slaughter and destroy.