Revolution Underway In Naval Surface Warfare

[GruntFox]

Crud, we use the right mirrors for UV-C or EUV making microchips. And of course there's xray machines.

But it's expensive and heavy.

I honestly think that anything in wet-navy use will end up either green or IR. Most likely IR.

IR is actually pretty horrid for offensive use. The only reason we even think about using it is that it's dead simple to develop. Blue-Green is only really useful for underwater use.

What you want for a true weaponized laser is UV, as using that with an ultra-short pulse cycle effectively solves the problem that makes lasers less viable against armored targets (i.e., the plasma from sublimed material getting in the way).

 

[DJK]

Crud, we use the right mirrors for UV-C or EUV making microchips. And of course there's xray machines.

But it's expensive and heavy.

I honestly think that anything in wet-navy use will end up either green or IR. Most likely IR.

I doubt IR, quite a lot of water absorption ie. rain fade...

 

[Scott Kenny]

I doubt IR, quite a lot of water absorption ie. rain fade...

It does, but when you're only talking about a 30km weapon anyways...

 

[DJK]

It does, but when you're only talking about a 30km weapon anyways...

But in a naval context, any small improvement on penetration through fog has to help.

 

[CastleBravo]

Crud, we use the right mirrors for UV-C or EUV making microchips. And of course there's xray machines.

But it's expensive and heavy.

I honestly think that anything in wet-navy use will end up either green or IR. Most likely IR.

EUV lithography is done with mirrors that are <70% reflective. They would be completely inadequate for a high energy weapon system. Those wavelengths are also strongly absorbed by air.

 

[GruntFox]

EUV lithography is done with mirrors that are <70% reflective. They would be completely inadequate for a high energy weapon system. Those wavelengths are also strongly absorbed by air.

However, UV and shorter wavelengths tell stuff like fog where to stuff it (meaning you'll have to invest in MuvLuv-style heavy-metal 'laser chaff', GURPS Prism agents, or Traveller Sandcaster as a defense), and lasers make their own vacuum channels at double-digit megawatts.

 

[DJK]

I thought only UVA had reasonable penetration in air... i also wonder if millimetre wavelength microwave is useful as a high power weapon to fry electronics.