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America's laser of death cleared for take-off
The Sunday Telegraph (U.K.) ^
| 02/17/2002
| Sean Rayment
Posted on 02/16/2002 4:17:58 PM PST by Pokey78
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To: timestax
I'm p*ssed that USA didn't do somthing to eliminate their crude radio communication "network".
Actually, we monitored their communications as a way to tell what was going on in their ranks. I believe that was how we knew Atef was killed. The clever terrorists broadcast the results of their "search-and-rescue" efforts on their radios. Also, some of our spotters spoke Arabic. They would ask their targets if they had been hit and the targets, assuming they were talking to comrades, obliging told them how far off the bombs had hit.
We also used it to sow disinformation. Surrender instructions and related information was sent over these frequencies.
To: My Identity
devide=device
To: Fzob
1315nm? I always thought that these chemical lasers were going to be UV. This is a convenient wavelength, however. There's a popular Nd:YAG line at 1320nm. Their optics will be almost off-the-shelf.
To: 69ConvertibleFirebird
Don't be too proud of the technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the force.
To: RadioAstronomer
Hi RA! Long time no see (sort of). Interesting thread. If the beam of light is at 1.315 micrometers, that is 1,315 nanometers in my book. That means the beam is in the infra-red region of the EM spectrum and thus not visible to the human eye (bummer).
When I lived in San Diego, some nights at the beach you could see two very strong green laser beams eminating from a scientific park near Miramar NAS, and shooting out over the Pacific ocean. They appeared to be roughly parallel to the Earth's surface, and parallel to each other, but appeared to intersect at the horizon. I always assumed that the intersection was an illusion caused by my perspective. The beams also appeared to curve around the Earth thus maintaining the same altitude. Again, I don't trust the visual info my eyes were reporting. This would have been around 1987 or 88 . Do you know anything about these green beams?
To: My Identity
Well I still don't think what we got out of it was worth more then paralyzing them with the knowledge that they had absolutely no way of quick communication.
To: Pokey78
Is it too late for clinton to sell the plans to China?
147
posted on
02/17/2002 5:20:15 PM PST
by
breakem
To: RadioAstronomer
Why use something as complicated as a mirror? A better defense would be plain old water vapor, i.e., a cloud. Lasers do have problems penatrating cloud cover. If you used smoke particles mixed with very finely misted water vapor, the laser would have trouble breaking through while maintaining coherency.
To: xzins
Good guess:
My guess is that it's directed more at the American public and to congresscritters. It directly links to the Star Wars initiative and demonstrates the feasibility of that effort.
149
posted on
02/17/2002 7:45:08 PM PST
by
GOPJ
To: Jewels1091
A belated answer to your question...hypersonic aircraft of unbelievable capabilities. We didn't just outspend the Ruskies during the cold war, we outsped, outgunned, etc....and the only reason we never deployed the "stealth" cruise missle was that it was a true first strike weapon. The Russians are terrified at our capabilities so when push comes to shove, they will agree with whatever we do in our war, despite their protestations. The Euros are just clueless as usual.
To: timestax
Why would you use superweapons against cave men? It's a waste. Use what the world can accept and against an Iran or North Korea, give them the demonstration that will terrify everyone into (as Cartman would say) "respecting our authoriti"......
To: Pokey78
There is a another, somewhat larger, LASER being fitted to a 747 right now. It's mission is to shoot down theatre range ballistic missiles, like the Scud, during the boost phase. Now that is a big laser. This C-130 version would just be a pipsqeak in comparison.
152
posted on
02/17/2002 8:31:01 PM PST
by
El Gato
To: tet68
lazer That's LASER, Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Been studying on 'em since high school, way back in the bad old 1960s. But at least they are younger than I am. :) Predecessor was the MASER, where "M" stands for Microwave. The moniker fits the MASER bettter than most LASERs since they really are used as low noise amplifiers. Most LASERs are more akin to oscillators rather than amplifiers. The current high powered ones are chemically powered, usually with some real nasty chemicals too.
153
posted on
02/17/2002 8:38:44 PM PST
by
El Gato
To: ROCKLOBSTER
You mean like a...(gulp)....arc welder? Actually more like oxy-acetylene, since most of the big LASERs are chemically powered, sort of like a rocket engine with mirrors transverse to the exhaust.
154
posted on
02/17/2002 8:43:55 PM PST
by
El Gato
To: section9
One day about five or six years ago, the neighborhood where I reside all saw a super bright light, on a clear, blue sky, summer afternoon. And two years ago at night, again it was cloudless but at night , I saw a greenish bright light pass over the area going South to North. The greenish light reminded me of the lazer in the movie REAL GENIUS of the late 80's. Could be nothing, prolly nothing, but Wright Pat is 50 miles from me so who knows.
To: Lancey Howard
This was around 1973. He talked about US use of lasers in Vietnam and I just took him for goofy. But over the years, I have seen enough references to wonder if maybe we were indeed playing around with lasers back then. We were using LASERs in Vietnam. The same sort we used in Desert Storm and against the taliwackers. The realatively low powered sort that Laser Guided Bombs (LGBs) home in on. I used to work with and for a guy who was the CO of the unit to first use them in combat..poof no more Paul Dohmer(sic) bridge, which had "eaten" several aircraft trying to take it down prior to that. Hard on AAA sites also. He later went to work for the company that made the guidance kits, which is where I met him.
156
posted on
02/17/2002 8:54:21 PM PST
by
El Gato
To: El Gato
bump
To: kanawa
Fire=Laser beam....NOTOK, pretend YOU are merely back at the Battle at Concord.
Just how would YOU describe the effects of such a weapon? (Using the accumulated knowledge of the times???)
158
posted on
02/18/2002 3:45:43 AM PST
by
Elsie
To: Nuke'm Glowing
Why would you use superweapons against cave men?Sorry Kawana, but: "Who can make war against the Beast?"
159
posted on
02/18/2002 3:49:19 AM PST
by
Elsie
To: American in Israel
You will really like this link for
the FEL laser.
The USA, Israel, Russia, and the Netherlands are the only players in the game.
160
posted on
02/18/2002 6:28:22 AM PST
by
beowolf
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