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jameshart

“non-kinetic, speed-of-light microwave pulses”

Presumably the version that uses kinetic faster-than-light microwave pulses is still classified.

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The kinetic slower-than-light microwave pulse is just a guy throwing microwave ovens at drones with a catapult

Add a targeting computer on the catapult and it might be pretty effective!

Used microwaves are almost certainly cheaper than any similar munitions used by the us mil.

But if someone microwaved fish in one it might be a violation of international law.

Know this is supposed to be a joke but why

Microwaving a trout actually works pretty well, but the joke is that it releases enough odor that just might be strong enough to be banned under The Hague Convention Against Chemical Weapons.

It’s definitely not a nice thing to do to the office microwave!

That's impossible, even for a computer.

I recall reading about some microwave or laser weapon which was pulsed to in theory increase effectiveness. Part of the design was using kinetic effects and the sub light speed propagation of pressure waves through the material.

Basically rather than trying to vaporize armor you heat or blast chunks off in rapid succession which can do all sorts of things including creating strong magnetic fields. Which was then possibly more efficient in defeating armor etc.

I can’t find the exact source but this seems related: https://www.nre.navy.mil/organization/departments/aviation-f...

actually the pulses went back in time and killed the systems inventor. So it no longer exists.

Shhhh. Don’t want to be on THEIR naughty list.

It isn't like they are generating plasma conduits with the microwaves and then using a hyper velocity gas gun to propel a slug of plasma down the conduit!

Hammer's Slammers, anyone?

In the series of books they would use a laser to carve a hole in air and then inject a plasma made of super-heated copper into the collapsing channel. I always thought it was a pretty neat concept. That, along with their flying tanks. They used big fans to lift these M1 Abrams style battle tanks. I cannot imagine the power consumption for all of it.

Sounds similar to that "guide lightning using a laser" thing from a few months ago:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-17/scientists-use-laser-...

So it basically does an omae wa mou on the enemy?

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