-----Original Message-----
John Clark apparently said (in part);
>If defense cost far more than offence, and
>it does and always will, then a ABM system can't save it and it doesn't
>matter if the city's value is zero or infinity. Don't misunderstand me, I'm
>not happy with this situation but that's the way things are.
Not being too much of a student of history nonetheless I've been lead to
beleive that it has ALWAYS been an "arms race" between precisely defense vs
offense. In some eras of history defense (the age of castles) is
paramount...in others offense reigns.....the pendelum swings.....
At this time it would seem to the uniformed but curious layman (me) that
groundbased or airborne kinetic energy weapons (railguns), and/or laser
weapons would be more than a match for incoming ballistic weapons......
For example....a hypothetical laser weapon.
Imagine a generator about the size of a heifer (several hundred pounds)
turning at high speeds designed in such a way that when the "juice" is put
to the primary windings (secondary?....I forget the terms...) it stops in
nanoseconds (ok....milliseconds....or even great big fractions of
seconds....).....thereby converting all that rotational inertia into heat
and electricity....which is then used to fire off a laser "round"....
I have it on (kinda) good authority that G.E. was (is) working on such a
thingie....they "gave" it to the kids at Texas A&M and told em to "break"
it.....(test it to destruction....Texas boys is GOOD at "testing things to
destruction)
Now imagine a whole array of such generators....mounted on a 747 say.....and
"spun-up" by the slip stream of the aircraft or some jet engine exhaust
arrangement.....
What you then have is a multiple shot hi-energy, transportable missle
killer.....if coupled with the appropriate targeting data I would
assume......
How far can a (many) kilo(mega?) watt "lazer-burst" reach when fired from an
aircraft at hi altitude?
The above being only one scenario......no matter how fast a reentry vehickle
is it ain't lightspeed.....and given multiple laser shots don't worry about
the decoys....
Kill em alllllllllllll (re-entry vehickles that is....)
EvMick
San Antonio Tx....(remember the Alamo!!!!)
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Jul 27 2000 - 14:13:10 MDT