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Subject: Laser Mine Clearance
Kitchen Wolf    7/11/2002 12:48:54 PM
CNN had a story today about using a Hummer-mounted industrial laser to clear surface mines up to 250 meters away. Wouldn't it be equally effective to use a Barrett light .50 with API (armor piercing incendiary - an explosive round capable of causing sympathetic detonation or at least setting the explosive on fire)? I could fit a lot of boxes of .50 ammo in the back of a hummer, not to mention that off-the-shelf has certain budgetary and practical advantages (no R&D and you know it works). It seems to be a modern axiom that we should reach for new gadgets before developing new tactics.
 
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Phoenix Rising    RE:Laser Mine Clearance   7/12/2002 9:03:27 AM
I was wondering about that story, too, but for different reasons. It seemed like this new mine-clearing laser is hardly the kind of gadget that fits what the media is looking for these days; the recent demonstration of the new UCAV seems much more like their thing, but didn't get that kind of frontline coverage. The plan to outfit future fighters and retrofit existing ones with lasers instead of projectile weapons seems like a more ambitious, high-profile project than this anti-mine doohickey as well, and the air force is generally the most high-profile of the armed services. Oh well. --Phoenix Rising
 
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dark_sun    RE:Laser Mine Clearance   1/2/2003 7:32:02 PM
A battlefield is rather dirty, muddy, and full of debris (man-made and natural). Propagation effects, at these wavelengths (probably CO2), will degrade laser performance to the point that the laser power needed to destroy buried and concealed (they usually are) mines will necessitate a generator that will have to hulled by a HEMTT, followed by a tanker truck to supply fuel. This sounds like a really cool idea that?s going to get someone killed. Some techno-whiz probably thought this marvel up and the media seems to love hi-tech weapons??
 
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dark_sun    RE:Laser Mine Clearance   1/2/2003 7:37:10 PM
A battlefield is rather dirty, muddy, and full of debris (man-made and natural). Propagation effects, at these wavelengths (probably CO2), will degrade laser performance to the point that the laser power needed to destroy buried and concealed (they usually are) mines will necessitate a generator that will have to be hauled by a HEMTT, followed by a tanker truck to supply fuel. This sounds like a really cool idea that?s going to get someone killed. Some techno-whiz probably thought this marvel up and the media seems to love hi-tech weapons??
 
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