US Navy to Test Fire Electric Hypercannon

register.com ^ | 01/30/08 | Unknown

[Red Badger]

64 MEGAJOULES?!?!?!?!?!...........

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

“good for shooting down fast-moving flying things.”
Like satellites?

[catbertz]

Yes, when their unmanned there will be less potential for error, won’t there?

while there will be details to work out, the unmanned craft will be piloted by real people, with chain of command available instantly for high value target approval. Nothing is perfect, but there are massive advantages gained in performance and lethality.

[RightWhale]

The barrel would be open anyway, not having to contain high pressure gas.

[NYFriend]

All this so future captains will really be able to say “divert engine power to weapons systems”?

[John123]

Wow. Just wow. I want one.

I'll take the next one after Greg F please...

[Greg F]

They’ll be recruiting at video game conventions . . . “Enders Game” here we come.

[Froufrou]

It’s times like this when I wish I knew more about weapons and how different guns fire. Not to mention I wish I’d been better at physics!

[blackdog]

But what I want to know is how much does this weapon cost each firing as far as carbon credits?

[Snickering Hound]

"No word on sharks with laser beams?"

[John123]

Am I to understand that these shots will completely knock out any electrical components of the target or is this just another way to fire a hunk of molten metal?

[Greg F]

My wife has convinced my daughter that “pull my finger” is a gross boy’s game. Ridicule has worked where civility failed.

[Sloth]

Plus, you have all of the individuals in charge of different aspects of air battle, each able to concentrate instead of getting distracted by other aspects of battle, and fear of getting tagged.

Yes, but it would probably take extraordinary conditioning to stop them from messaging each other things like "UR A FAG, N00b" and "LOL, OMG U PWNED th4t d00d".

[PapaBear3625]

able to sweep the skies of pesky aircraft or missiles as soon as they dared show themselves above the horizon

Before you can shot it, you have to be able to see it. There's going to be a continuous war between stealth and sensor technology

[catbertz]

lol

[MrB]

Yes, but it would probably take extraordinary conditioning to stop them from messaging each other things like "UR A FAG, N00b" and "LOL, OMG U PWNED th4t d00d".

LOL...

[Froufrou]

Nothing is perfect, but there are massive advantages gained in performance and lethality.

Sometimes I guess faster really is better. The fallout from nuclear warheads makes it so last century, yes?

[Reeses]

strike targets two hundred miles away - still going at Mach 5

If true this gun could shoot down any orbiting satellite. It will likely require a nuclear power source but it could bury all its nuclear waste by shooting it into the Sun.

[Red Badger]

Just think, a tiny marshmallow accelerated to the speed they are talking about would put a hole in you, or at least a very big dent.............