Sci-Fi Weapons to Join US Arsenal?

marct22 writes to tell us CNet is reporting that the next weapons coming out of the US arsenal could be stepping right off the pages of science fiction to be there. From the article: "By the end of this year, the Air Force plans to conduct a first, fully loaded test flight of its Airborne Laser, a jumbo jet packed with gear designed to shoot down enemy missiles half a world away, at the speed of light. The ABL also packs a megawatt-class punch--it's not exactly your garden-variety laser pointer."

Comments

Say what?

[Rorschach1]

"...a jumbo jet packed with gear designed to shoot down enemy missiles half a world away..."

Assuming your world is not larger than 600 kilometers across, that is. Or do they mean that the plane's going to be in the Middle East? In that case, an M-16 is able to kill enemy soldiers half a world away, too.

ABL Systems are old

[Dr. Eggman]

This is nothing new, this kind of thing has been underdevelopment since late in the Cold War. Unlike perceptions in the pentagon, times have changed. These missile systems will not prevent projectiles like rpg fire; we need defense platforms for the present, not the past. There's no point in building an anti-missile laser when Iran or whoever developes a nuke can completly skip the missile. Whose going to build their nuclear weapon onto a missle delivery system if they know we can shoot it down? Not being able to shoot them down was the reason we put nukes on missiles in the first place.

Cut the funding, dump the project and reassign the personel to more useful projects like laser based fusion power, or robotics, or composite smart armor development.

Great, but that was last centuries' war

[Laurance]

Airborne Laser, a jumbo jet packed with gear designed to shoot down enemy missiles half a world away, at the speed of light.

And how does something like that help us fight an enemy that puts up a roadside bomb?

Troops need body armor and armored trucks. Not, useless debt building toys that are made to fight a cold war enemy, long gone.

Want more info http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/defense/25 30001.html

Re:Great, but that was last centuries' war

[slavemowgli]

No, what troops need first and foremost is responsible politics that keep people from resorting to things like roadside bombs in the first place.

Seriously, think about it. Have you ever asked yourself *why* people do things like that? Maybe it's just me, but it might have to do with the fact that we're constantly interfering with them - messing with their internal affairs, assassinating their politicians, selling chemical weapons to dictators, invading them, killing hundreds of thousands of innocents, abducting people, torturing them, stealing their oil (not to mention their archaeological treasures etc.), and so on.

What would you do when another country did that to the USA? Well, maybe most of us wouldn't put up roadside bombs if it happened to us, but would you think of those who fight the invaders as terrorists? You might not like what they do, but you'd probably cheer the attempt to get your country back, at least.

Responsible politics would take this into account and act accordingly. Treat people with respect, and they will treat you with respect as well - or at least, they won't blow you up (some still might, of course, but there's always going to be nutcases, and we certainly have our own share, too - just take the Unabomber, for example). It might take a while until they really trust you that you have changed, but ultimately, isn't it worth it? Defend yourself if you're attacked, but don't attack others, and don't mess with their internal affairs. As soon as you do that, things like roadside bombs will stop being a real problem.

Or, in other words... we've made our bed, so now we have to lie in it. We have nobody to blame for our problems but ourselves.

Re:Sci Fi

[barc0001]

> Is quantum computing sci-fi?

At this moment in time, PRACTICAL quantum computing is, yes.

> Is the space elevator sci-fi?

Again, at this moment in time, yes. Tests of a few thousand feet are a hell of a long way from geosyncronous orbit.

> Is nuclear fusion sci-fi?

No, it's a big bright ball in the sky. Now, if you're talking about humans initiating and controlling that reaction to extract more energy than they put into the reaction, then yes, it is in fact science fiction right now in 2006.

> Is a laser cannon sci-fi ? No.

Depends on your definition of cannon. If you mean something that can be effectively used as an offensive weapon against a hostile force, then this may be the first non-scifi example of such. If you mean a laser pointer, or something to cut out grills for your computer's fan in the shape of a nekkid chick, then no.

Re:Question:

[Frumious Wombat]

We've already spent the money on an immensely effective ABM system; it's called MAD. It's the solid belief that if you nuke anything that we value, we're going to make the rubble bounce from one end of your "now a historical question on Jeopardy!" ex-country to the other. It's why we fought only proxy wars after 1945, and didn't, despite the urges to the contrary, use tactical nukes in Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, or any other number of flash-points. This is actually the best incentive certain nominally middle-eastern states have to keep a lid on their stockpiles. It's probable that even if they don't nuke one of our cities, if it happens they're going to get blamed and made an example of. Basically, we need the old Kissinger/Nixon team at the helm. One of them negotiates with the other power, and says that the President is crazy, and is going to bomb them, then the president acts crazy (and in the case of Nixon and the North Vietnamese), does bomb them, but just enough to get them back to the negotiating table. Same deal here; rail against the imperialist foreign hedonistic infidel running dogs all you want, but don't get too antsy, or bad things happen. None of the ABM systems we've tested so far has been nearly as successful as good old psychology and enlightened self-interest. We'd be better off spending the money on a couple of underground tests capable of rattling seismometers on the other side of the world and more money for scanning cargo containers as they enter port than on jumbo-jet mounted lasers, missile batteries that have to be told where the missile is coming from, or the rest of the Reagan-era Sci-Fi retreads we are now.