From: Michael M. Butler (mmb@spies.com)
Date: Sat Jan 18 2003 - 21:02:37 MST
Gary Miller wrote:
> Everybody says that SDI is just a missile defense system.
>
> But with satellites capable of reading license plates on vehicles now,
> why couldn't it be used to take out war criminals and terrorists making
> public appearances.
>
> That way governments could retaliate against an individual instead of a
> country.
"Project Thor" was described by J. Pournelle, among others, quite some time
back (20 years ago?). A bolt from the blue. A real cream dream--*if* your target
is complacent. ["No Pax Americana is complete without it! Order yours *TODAY*!"]
Imagine something shaped rather like a Sidewinder missile, of a size somewhere
between that of a crowbar and a telephone pole. Dispatched from orbit, employing
purely kinetic kill, time to target measured in minutes.
Terminal guidance would be a bit tricky--possibly you'd have to trade off
terminal velocity for footprint, or snap out larger control surfaces after
reentry--but you ought to have really high kill probabilities going after,
say, a vehicle driving on a highway. Armored SUV or schoolbus, take your pick.
But of course, Saddam digs tunnels and has several "doubles". Gosh darn it.
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