Air Force Turns 747 Into Holster for Giant Laser (washingtonpost.com)

[Jim Choate]

On Mon, 23 Jul 2001, Eugene Leitl wrote:

> My comment was limited to radiant energy weapons.

Even that's not sufficient since lasers have been demonstrated for
mid-course assaults as well.

> As to those, the critical vulnerability exists during launch and boost 
> phase. The target is slow, bright, large, has fuel on board and a 
> nonarmored hull, which (as other posters observed) can be weakened with 
> enough flux.

All it really takes is to get it cocked a tad off senter and aerodynamic
forces will take it apart, irrespective of hull weakness.

> The warhead in transit is fast, small, silent, and very, very hard to hit
> critically (well, it is designed to withstand reentry and nuclear
> antimissile near-hits), especially if it has a high-albedo coating, and if
> it is accompanied by a cloud of decoys. Either radiant energy weapon or
> kinetic kill, you're on the losing side here.

They've certainly managed to kill enough of them in tests starting as far
back as the ASAT fighters from the 80's. The reality is that quite a lot
of research goes on in attacking the warheads while in the mid-course
phase. It's also worth mentioning that in general the individual (assuming
MRV) warheads don't usually seperate until after mid-flight. This means a
not-so-small target.

> > operations, vacuum effects (rupture a fuel tank and watch that baby
> > gyrate).
> 
> True, but irrelevant.

Actually not, if you strike the tanks (they are typically filled with
Nitrogen to both provide strength, ala a plastic coke bottle with the top
on and off, and to help move fuel to the engines. Approximately half the
flight occurs in this phase.

> > Which has been demonstrated to be extant since the mid-80's when they
> > shot the first satellite down with a high altitude fighter.
> 
> A missile in boost phase is not a satellite. A cloud of decoys is not a
> satellite. An armored warhead is not a satellite.

The satellite used was specifically chosen to mimic the characteristics of
a re-entry vehicle.

All I can say is google and 'anti-satellite aircraft'.


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