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Subject: Laser rifles
Miles    3/14/2007 7:19:19 PM
How would it be possible to have laser guns in the future?
 
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ker       1/10/2008 4:47:57 PM




Could a man portable laser cause a deployed parachute to collapse?  What would be the relationship between cost and weight on one hand and range and fog tolerance on the other?




If a weapon grade man portable laser can be build it should be capable of slitting a parachute and causing it to collapse.

 

But why bother?  No body deploys troops by parachute except as part of a stealthy penetration of enemy lines.  In which case, if they know you are coming you are already s-----d.

 

The other uses of parachutes are mainly for illumination flares, and the occasional supply drop.  not exactly critical targets.


You make a good point.  The question came to my mind when I read that China might use paratroops against Taiwan.  I felt Taiwan would have the resources to cover the best landing zones.  Could a laser outperform in some way other options or are they just for range finding and gold plated anti-missile systems?
 
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WarNerd       1/11/2008 12:43:50 AM

You make a good point.  The question came to my mind when I read that China might use paratroops against Taiwan.  I felt Taiwan would have the resources to cover the best landing zones.  Could a laser outperform in some way other options or are they just for range finding and gold plated anti-missile systems?

 
Drop the "gold plated".  If anything will drive the development of laser weapons it will be anti-projectile applications.
?   Boost phase anti-ballistic missile applications are first up, because, frankly, nothing else can do the job.
 
?   Anti-(small)drone, anti-mortar, anti-bombardment rocket, and anti-cruise missile.  We are already starting to seeing these systems appearing using autocannons, but they have extremely limited capability against crossing targets.  A laser will not have that problem, or a problem with collateral damages from unexploded munitions and parts of expended munitions falling to earth.
?   Development of a working anti-artillery system will reinvigorate the concept of the fortress on land and the battleship at sea. 
?   If a mobile system can be created then artillery's dominance over the battlefield will be seriously reduced, and some weapons like the NLOS missile may become rapidly obsolete.
?   The last to be deployed (if ever) will be a laser defense against direct fire projectiles.  This will only happen if the size and cost can be reduced enough to permit the system to be deployed on every armored vehicle.
These systems will not make the targets immune to fire, but will require multiple time-on-target projectiles to defeat.  This is doable for a professional army, but probably not for bandits, guerrillas, or terrorists.
 
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ker       1/11/2008 2:51:25 PM
O.K. I'll drop the gold plate. 
 
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