New Laser weapon allows US military to say "oh no we dinnit"

[CptStern]

An airborne laser weapon dubbed the "long-range blowtorch" has the added benefit that the US could convincingly deny any involvement with the destruction it causes, say senior officials of the US Air Force (USAF).


As the term suggests, "plausible deniability" is used to describe situations where those responsible for an event could plausibly claim to have had no involvement in it.

A laser beam is silent and invisible. An ATL can deliver the heat of a blowtorch with a range of 20 kilometres, depending on conditions. That range is great enough that the aircraft carrying it might not be seen, especially at night.

With no previous examples for comparison, it may be difficult to discern whether damage to a vehicle or person was the result of a laser strike.

http://technology.newscientist.com/...s-of-laser-weapons-plausible-deniability.html

so instead of invading iraq they could have just bar-b-qued Saddam from a safe distance and no one would be the wiser

CNN: "America has been spared from the undeniable threat of Saddam Hussein as reports come in that he died in a mysterious case of spontaneous combustion"

Foxnews: "he gone done and s'ploded, the terrarsts are defeated"



/prerequisite link to bush for the absinthes of this world

 

[Saturos]

Awesome. The future of warfare killing devices is here!

BTW, I read about this technology in a Popsci a few months ago. Pretty scary shit, but strangely fascinating too.

 

[Darkedge34]

Yay, moar pointless destruction! Go Usa.

 

[Saturos]

Yay, moar pointless destruction! Go Usa.

...but without real life war, as well as devices/weapons of war, games like counter-strike and CoD4 wouldn't exist.

If they did exist, they wouldn't make any sense as we would not know anything about war.
What kind of games would devs create I wonder if war and bloodshed did not exist?

Futhermore, most modern practical technical innovations can be given credit to original military applications. (GPS, satellites, etc.)
Like it or not, but without military research, we almost assuredly wouldn't have many of these things as soon as now.

On this note, I'm sure we can develope some practical use for a death-ray laser gun.

 

[Dekstar]

I hear it was tested in Toronto not long ago.
Yeah, I went there!

 

[Mr Stabby]

A Hercules isn't a stealth aircraft, so it won't be hidden from any country with a radar.

 

[CptStern]

..the whole idea behind "plausible deniability" is foiled by the rumbling of a hercules airplane ...oh well I guess they'll scrap the program now because they couldnt possibly think their way around that problem

A second, larger version of the laser is also nearing initial testing. The much larger Airborne Laser is intended for missile defence and will be carried by a Boeing 747.

hey commercial airplanes that double as laser weapons platforms, who would have thunk it?

 

[Tyguy]

anything that reduces casualties is fine by me

 

[CptStern]

anything that reduces casualties is fine by me

that's a direct quote from Robert Oppenheimer isnt it?

 

[Saturos]

I like fried chicken.

Hey! Maybe we can develope a practical use for a death-ray gun after all!

 

[Lucid]

http://technology.newscientist.com/...s-of-laser-weapons-plausible-deniability.html

so instead of invading iraq they could have just bar-b-qued Saddam from a safe distance and no one would be the wiser

CNN: "America has been spared from the undeniable threat of Saddam Hussein as reports come in that he died in a mysterious case of spontaneous combustion"

Foxnews: "he gone done and s'ploded, the terrarsts are defeated"



/prerequisite link to bush for the absinthes of this world

Water ejected from my nostrils.

 

[poll]

...but without real life war, as well as devices/weapons of war, games like counter-strike and CoD4 wouldn't exist.

If they did exist, they wouldn't make any sense as we would not know anything about war.
What kind of games would devs create I wonder if war and bloodshed did not exist?

Futhermore, most modern practical technical innovations can be given credit to original military applications. (GPS, satellites, etc.)
Like it or not, but without military research, we almost assuredly wouldn't have many of these things as soon as now.

On this note, I'm sure we can develope some practical use for a death-ray laser gun.

Such an insult to Hello Kitty's Island Adventures and Solitaire!

just kidding, I totally agree with your opinion. Don't forget the sonar, portable radio, APRANET and others

 

[Tyguy]

that's a direct quote from Robert Oppenheimer isnt it?

I don't know, but it should be

 

[Saturos]

Such an insult to Hello Kitty's Island Adventures and Solitaire!

just kidding, I totally agree with your opinion. Don't forget the sonar, portable radio, APRANET and others

Oh yes. Let's not forget ARPANET. If it wasn't for ARPANET, we wouldn't be posting in these pointless forums right now!

I'll have to look up ARPANET's history again though. I could've sworn it was first developed at Stanford and University of Utah. The military probably still had a hand in it though.


EDIT> Woohoo! I've been promoted to Fast Zombie! Now I'm an even bigger loser than those under me!

 

[<RJMC>]

so if in some monts we see putin igniting on fire misteriusly in the midle of the day I know who will be blamed

 

[Wanted Bob]

Yeah I saw the Popsci article too a while ago. I cant wait to see it tested.

 

[Dog--]

This was for the politics thread, but it works here.

Other then that, the US government is coming closer and closer to dictators, imo.

 

[Gray Fox]

Cool, widespread use of this would be revolutionary. You could target critical parts of tanks, artillery and
disable them without hurting the passengers. A more dispersed beam could be used to temporarily blind
the enemy, which is forbidden under the Geneva convention as far as I know unfortunately. As well as
the use of all chemicals, which seams rather odd considering there are so many non lethal agents that
could reduce the risk for soldiers as well as the enemy.

 

[VirusType2]

widespread use of this would be revolutionary. You could target critical parts of tanks, artillery and
disable them without hurting the passengers.

That's fantastic.

 

[Saturos]

Other then that, the US government is coming closer and closer to dictators, imo.

Dictatorships never work, but shadowy world domination elitist groups do! MJ-12 ftw!

 

[15357]

Cool. But the electrolaser still is cooler.

Cool, widespread use of this would be revolutionary. You could target critical parts of tanks, artillery and
disable them without hurting the passengers. A more dispersed beam could be used to temporarily blind
the enemy, which is forbidden under the Geneva convention as far as I know unfortunately. As well as
the use of all chemicals, which seams rather odd considering there are so many non lethal agents that
could reduce the risk for soldiers as well as the enemy.

Yeah, it's interesting that tear gas is banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention; supposedly the use of any chemical might bring on a retalitory strike with something more lethal.

If it wasn't for the CWC, the battlefield would be covered with CS and knockout gas, which would make things a helluva lot easier.

 

[<RJMC>]

tear gas cant be used on batlefields?

hey I didnt noticed that

it would be a good tactic unless the enemy got gaskmask but will make the soldiers more cool loking

 

[Lizardizzle]

they're JUST getting to this?! i saw this on one of my Popular Science magazines years ago! Boy are they late. :|

 

[Saturos]

they're JUST getting to this?! i saw this on one of my Popular Science magazines years ago! Boy are they late. :|

Nah, Stern's just getting to this is what you mean. He's been slacking on his anti-USA political propaganda of late.

 

[VirusType2]

they're JUST getting to this?! i saw this on one of my Popular Science magazines years ago! Boy are they late. :|

They had domed cities and flying cars in Popular Science like 50 years ago.

 

[Saturos]

They had domed cities and flying cars in Popular Science 50 years ago.

To be fair though, some of their predictions such as GPS and the internets did come true. However, most of them are indeed LOL worthy today.

 

[Jintor]

I can't wait until we invent technomancy.

 

[Dog--]

Yea, all we got now is shitty necromancy D:

Sex sux when it's cold.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Neck romance.

I guess this is kind of cool? It sounds very difficult to use precisely, though.

 

[Baserape>]

We could do away with matches, lighters if we put this technology into a billion satellites. You could use your mobile phone to confirm your location and for example you could light your barbie or spark up a joint at a touch of a button.

This Technology could also be used to pin point arsonists.

 

[bbson john]

US Government sucks for announcing this weapon.

 

[NyCxMike]

if u ask me announcing this weapon kind of defeats the purpose of it being stealthy but will be usfeful anyway

 

[Absinthe]

This is awesome.

America will never again wage another unsporting war.
Or so you are aware.

 

[VirusType2]

if u ask me announcing this weapon kind of defeats the purpose of it being stealthy

Yeah, but where's the fun in blowing shit up if you can't take credit?

 

[Remus]

This is old "news". I've seen a documentary on the airborne laser 5 years ago. Also in a more recent documentary they said the airborne laser programme was scrapped.


Or was it ? Dun Dun Dun Dunnnn

 

[Escaep]