this post was submitted on 14 Dec 2023
23 points (100.0% liked)

news

23464 readers
2 users here now

Welcome to c/news! Please read the Hexbear Code of Conduct and remember... we're all comrades here.

Rules:

-- PLEASE KEEP POST TITLES INFORMATIVE --

-- Overly editorialized titles, particularly if they link to opinion pieces, may get your post removed. --

-- All posts must include a link to their source. Screenshots are fine IF you include the link in the post body. --

-- If you are citing a twitter post as news please include not just the twitter.com in your links but also nitter.net (or another Nitter instance). There is also a Firefox extension that can redirect Twitter links to a Nitter instance: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/libredirect/ or archive them as you would any other reactionary source using e.g. https://archive.today . Twitter screenshots still need to be sourced or they will be removed --

-- Mass tagging comm moderators across multiple posts like a broken markov chain bot will result in a comm ban--

-- Repeated consecutive posting of reactionary sources, fake news, misleading / outdated news, false alarms over ghoul deaths, and/or shitposts will result in a comm ban.--

-- Neglecting to use content warnings or NSFW when dealing with disturbing content will be removed until in compliance. Users who are consecutively reported due to failing to use content warnings or NSFW tags when commenting on or posting disturbing content will result in the user being banned. --

-- Using April 1st as an excuse to post fake headlines, like the resurrection of Kissinger while he is still fortunately dead, will result in the poster being thrown in the gamer gulag and be sentenced to play and beat trashy mobile games like 'Raid: Shadow Legends' in order to be rehabilitated back into general society. --

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I wonder if the system can double as an orbital weapons platform with global strike capability. They are talking about eventually scaling to megawatts of laser energy being fired into orbit then relayed back down to a target on the ground.

It's kinda weird seeing US military commanders pushing for tech to eliminate their reliance on fossil fuels. They are careful to avoid mentioning that this system is to replace the need for diesel generators at forward operating bases or jet fuel for drones. I guess that's because US political leadership has a different opinion on being dependent on fossil fuel.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] sooper_dooper_roofer@hexbear.net 10 points 2 years ago

There is of course a drawback, and in this case it's the fact that you're throwing a fair amount of energy away to gain that flexibility. You lose some – maybe around 20% – when you convert electricity to light in your laser. You lose more – maybe 50% – when you convert that laser back to electricity at the receiver.

love 2 lose three-fourths of my total energy supply

and give away my receiver aircraft's position to anybody with a satellite

and accidentally a passenger plane that was in the path