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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."
Now if only we could find a giant shark to attach the laser to...
This is OLD news!
The U.S. Air Force was testing airborne pulse laser weapons in the 1980's (I was in Junior High at the time.). They had them mounted in the inside of C-130's and the pulse laser shot out the back of the C-130. The battery pack in the C-130 was only good for about 3-4 shots before it was depleted. About 3 months after they announced they were testing them they said they were discontinuing testing because they said the lasers "tended to cause blindness in the enemy.". HELLO! Sounds like the typical LAME excuse they give for everything.
I wish I could give you some URL's but they didn't exist back in the 1980's. But this was happening around the same time Russia was testing their "Killer Satalites" and around the same time the "G.E" satalite "dissapeared". Anyone remember these things?
The Truth is a Virus!!!
I really hope that our military realizes that laser beams are still er well, light. If we plan on shooting down warheads with this thing then it would be very difficult to do so if the warhead has micro polished mirror finish. It would simply reflect the beam or deflect/defract it in some fashion.