Skyguy
07-13-2005, 05:21 PM
I ran into this interesting article (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050713/ap_on_sc/directed_energy_weapons) on Yahoo. Very optimistic I must say... Implying that laser, microwave & radiowave weaponry could now be at the dawn of an age of non-lethal ways of handling enemies as well as disabling vehicles & bombs at a distance.
The Pluses:
+Portable
+Micro & radio waves travel at the speed of light leaving no time for your enemy to get out of the way.
+Pin-point accuracy from even kilometers away.
+Level of force & duration are adjustable.
+Some types of enemy cover would no longer be of use.
The Minuses:
-Power demands can be significant depending on what you're attempting to do.
-Radio & microwave antennas on current drawing boards make for obvious targets.
-Unsure of long term affects of exposure to these 'non-lethal' weapons.
Perhaps I'm paranoid, but the optimism in the story seems to have the same foul smell of Edward Teller's famous (Regan era) Star Wars comments from the 1980's...
The Pluses:
+Portable
+Micro & radio waves travel at the speed of light leaving no time for your enemy to get out of the way.
+Pin-point accuracy from even kilometers away.
+Level of force & duration are adjustable.
+Some types of enemy cover would no longer be of use.
The Minuses:
-Power demands can be significant depending on what you're attempting to do.
-Radio & microwave antennas on current drawing boards make for obvious targets.
-Unsure of long term affects of exposure to these 'non-lethal' weapons.
Perhaps I'm paranoid, but the optimism in the story seems to have the same foul smell of Edward Teller's famous (Regan era) Star Wars comments from the 1980's...