[lit-ideas] Re: Worst Case Scenarios
- From: Eric Yost <eyost1132@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 20:44:08 -0400
Teemu: I could go on and on why Iran and nukes is
completely unacceptable risk. Unacceptable as in
you have no sense of proportion if you think risks
of terrorist strikes at UK or anger at the streets
of Tehran somehow out weight it.
Bravo! Well said.
In addition to the arguments you mentioned is the
outright stupidity of having nukes in the first
place. They are unavoidably contaminating to
build, very expensive to maintain, and commit the
nuclear country to maintaining safeguards and
storage for thousands of years.
US and the other nuclear powers are trapped in
this mess, but encouraging every tinpot
dictatorship and Madman Mullahocracy to nuke up
just makes the problem almost unresolvable. Plus
our new laser weapons go online in a couple years
tops. That means we can destroy Iranian missiles
as they clear their silos, which further reduces
the strategic significance of having nukes in the
first place.
See http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/program/abl.htm
See also http://www.spacedaily.com/news/laser-02e.html
US Begins Testing Airborne Laser To Shoot Down
Missiles
Washington (AFP) Jul 19, 2002 [note the date]
A jumbo jet retrofitted to carry a laser gun
capable of shooting down enemy missiles has been
flight-tested for the first time as part of US
efforts to build a controversial missile defense
system, according to defense and industry officials.
See also:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/26/airborne_laser_weapon/
DARPA explains:
The Air Laser program will investigate the
potential for a high energy laser (HEL) concept
based on direct diode pumping of liquid oxygen. If
successful, the Air Laser could provide a safe,
efficient kilowatt-class HEL which combines the
advantages of chemical and solid state lasers and
minimizes the disadvantages: it operates in the
eye-safe wavelength regime; it uses liquid air as
the gain medium and as the diode array coolant,
resulting in the reduction or elimination of a
separate thermal control system; the use of
efficient, high energy density diode pump sources,
results in a compact device much smaller than
either chemical or solid state lasers; and its
pulse length is variable from continuous to
sub-picosecond, allowing flexibility in weapons
effects.
And if you like the sound of the HEL weapon, try
DARPA's MAgneto Hydrodynamic Explosive Munition,
or as the highly inventive DARPA acronyms
department has it, MAHEM. Boom boom!:
The MAgnetoHydrodynamic Explosive Munition
(MAHEM) program will demonstrate compressed
magnetic flux generator (CMFG)-driven
magnetohydrodynamically formed metal jets and self
forging penetrators with significantly improved
performance over explosively formed jets and
fragments. Explosively formed jets (EFJ) and self
forging penetrators (SFP) are used for precision
strike against targets such as armored vehicles
and reinforced structures. Current technology uses
chemical explosive energy to form the jets and
fragments.
Nice one. We look forward to seeing both HEL and
MAHEM let loose in Iraq in the near future.
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