What will be the most important invention in the military of the next century!

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thecurly1

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Forget new nuclear weapons, hypersonic bombers, or cyber-warefare, supercavitating weapons will lead a brand new form of warefare in the next fifty years. Supercavitating weapons, or propulsion in water may in the near future allow submarines to travel some at well over 150 mph. Russia has a fairly unknown torpedio that travels at approximatly 230 mph, and is planning to sell them to France, Iran, China, and the Ukraine. To get a better overview on the whole subject, now that I've surely got you hooked click on this link:

http://www.sciam.com/2001/0501issue/0501ashley.html

For anyone intrested in the Navy, military weapons or combat in general this should hit the spot. Very exciting!:D
 
thecurly1

Where were you when the Russians arrested Parker, a retired Naval Intelligence Officer, who just happened to be in Russian looking for a good deal on some outdated torpedos?

Russia has had supercavitation weapons for almost twenty years, including pistols and rifles used by the SPETzNAZ, their equivalent of our SEALS.

You just didn't believe me when I mentioned a while back that the Russian weapons and space program were/was quite advanced.
 
Um are you sure about supercavitation guns?

I thought the whole supercavitation thing was religated to water, the object is surrouned by basicly an airbuble that allows it to move with less resistance than it would against water. This technology doesn't work for balistic projectiles when out of the water. Yes the Russians do have this new torpedio and other advanced technology. If they were the USSR they'd be a bigger threat the the US, I believe the threat has diminished slightly because they are a democracy. I enjoyed reading "The Hunt for Red October", though not on supercavitation it was a very good naval thriller. I love Tom Clancy.

Any who, if the Russians, and other countries have supercavitation weapons I'm pretty sure that the USN has been developing their own SC underwater weapon systems. It's starting to sound like a SC weapon had something to do with the Kursk sinking. It would be rather unlikely for a torpedio to explode in the bow of a Typhoon missile sub, and why are the Russians brining it up? They've lost other subs, that are still sitting on the sea floor. Sounds a bit odd to me. What about you Chagur?:D
 
Okay, like ...

Sorry I wasn't clearer re. the SPETzNAZ weapons. The weapons were designed to be used by them underwater!

Actually, if they were still the USSR they'd be less of a threat to us. Remember, we got along with the Soviet Union for over forty years - The so called 'cold war' - with neither one of us stepping on the other's toes too hard. Now that they're practically destitute they're far more of a danger, but indirectly: selling some of their advanced weapons technology to whoever has the bucks.

Re. Clancy's 'Hunt for Red October': the bit there was magneto-hydrodynamic propulsion. Best part for me was seeing a copy of 'Proceedings' on the Captain's desk in his stateroom.

Re. the Kursk: It was the supercavitating torpedo that made a mess of the pride of Russian's submarine fleet (brand spanking new), two of them actually, and why they are going to recover the Kursk. They don't want to take a chance on us trying to do again what we tried to do about twenty or so years ago.

Oh, and it wasn't a matter of the torpedos blowing up but rather the rockets that create the cavity and propel the topedo until it reverts to conventional propulsion and homing, like maybe the last hundred yards or so.
 
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Our Navy is experimenting with SC weapons to diffuse mines (Popular Science). We also may have submarines that does not use propellers (hence run silent run deep).

The future major weapon will be antimatter missiles, high energy particle cannons and electronic nerve disrupters.
 
Reply to both of you...

Chagur thanks for clearing up the SC weapons bit with the Spetznaz, I thought you might be talking about underwater weapons but I wasn't sure. :D You are right that they are dangerous indirectly, by selling weapons of mass destruction to enemies of the US, and potential ones. I think the direct relationship between the USA and Russia will slowly get better along the way, as long as Bush doesn't piss them off.

I don't believe that kmguru that anti-matter weapons, high energy lasers, and electronic nerve disrupters will become a reality. First anti-matter though powerful, only extremely small amounts, a few particles can be produced, even those are produced at a very expensive cost. Nuclear weapons will not be replaced by anti-matter weapons. The most powerful high energy laser that has been produced has the explosive potential of a forty pound sack of explosives. SDI had problems with making them work in the eighties. Most of the exhibitions by the defense contractors were faked, which we later found out.

Electronic nerve disrupters, that sounds like a bad '50s ray gun name. Bullets and bombs will remain the main stay of the world's armies, just as they have since gun powder was invented. Rail guns, and better explosives will increase their lethality.

Sry, long reply. :D
 
Re: Reply to both of you...

Originally posted by thecurly1
I don't believe that kmguru that anti-matter weapons, high energy lasers, and electronic nerve disrupters will become a reality.
Click to expand...

For those of us who work in this field, we really do not want you to believe in it for a moment until we make it public.
 
Sure, you just told me and everyone else that will view your post that supposibly that you have gotten high energy weapons to work. You've just contradicted yourself which makes your quote quite absent of any credibility.

Bullets have been used for a thousand years, and will kill more people than any other weapon permitting there isn't a nuclear holocaust.
 
Not only are bullets effective, they are cheap. Any nut with the desire can come up with one. So is biology weaponery (to some extent) and it requires less aiming with a larger impact than the bullet.

I would make the guess that we will continue to see modifications to present weaponry as the norm. Maybe personalized weapons. Ones that won't fire except to the one it is imprinted to, how ever the means. Nonlethal weaponry for capture and interrogation. Temporary incapation devices such as the Taser. This for small scale stuff and special teams and covert ops.

The lastest rounds of war have been more of a policing action instead of something like World Wars. I doubt that we will see their like again. To risky. Instead we have the unsatisfieds with a beef. Bully of the block so to say. Our great danger here is as was stated earlier. China or Russia, selling technologies and weapons old hat to them but vastly superior to what the third world countries have. If they should manage to put together several technologies and come up with the right mixture it could be devestating to the unsuspecting.
 
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I personally prefer nonlethal, no permanent damage weapons. It is only humane thing to do. There is a patent (I downloaded it but now can not find it) that has a very slick idea.

The old Taser works by passing 25000 volts or so through two wires to connect to the subject. The new technology is to replace the wires with ordinary laser that ionizes the air which acts as conductors. You get to aim easy and fire the charge.

Another patent I read uses certain sound frequecies and very high decible level that can disorient a person. Still another that uses a carrier wave and modulation technique to deliver the frequecies to the body that disrupts (overwhelms) bodies own motor communication system for 5 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the person.
 
kmguru,

I have plans for a high power red ruby laser cannon. I have not built it yet because a small ruby or yag crystal is outrageously expensive. I can scan and post them if anyone wants.

Also have plans for a high power shock wave gun that uses an array of peizoelectric transducers.
 
I recommend using lab created rubies. They are cheaper but pure. What size you need? China started making them. I can set you up with the right party. Also if you need any diamonds, I have a source too (black diamond - same properties).

The truth of the matter is lasers will never be that powerful. Start work on a mass driver. Use lasers to guide atoms which will have more punch. If you accelarate something of mass at high speed, the kinetic energy will destroy anything upon impact. You can also use a high energy magnetic cannon that shoots very small particles at a very high velocity. I think FSU has a large lab.

Have fun....
 
kmguru,

Thanks, I will look into it and get back to you.
Black diamonds have the same properties as ruby crystals?
I did not know that.

Again, thanks,

Shadow
 
Sorry for the confusion... black diamond have the same properties as white diamonds except opacity.
 
kmguru

You have made mention before that you do a lot of research. While this may not be in your area or the places you look towards I would like to try and draw upon some of it.

What is the latest advances in energy weapons and sheilds research? Where is this likely to lead?
 
I can only answer questions in this area from already published material (public knowledge). I can not tell you my predictions that is too close to reality. Because I have worked in certain secure projects in the past and did work for a company who did heavy work in these area. Though technically I can say anything (there is no legal basis) it is not a good idea because this is an open forum.

Here is why: Suppose you are a physicist or a nuclear engineer. Even though you have not worked in a secure environment, you could easily deduce how to build a bomb (even the very word is scanned by UncleSAM). Now if you put that on the internet that will cause some serious problems.

It happened to me several years ago. I inadvertently put my own chemical formula of a certain item on a company document that was not stamped 'Classified' (because I made it up). I was investigated thoroughly to see how I found out about it because the formula was close to the truth. Finally they said that even though it was my idea, I can not tell anybody without a proper security clearance. So from that time on, I stay away from the oxymorons (military intelligence) as far as possible.

Having said that, a lot of information gets leaked out purposefully from the establishment to either get funding or to scare our opposition or to send our opponent in wild goose chase. If you list the area of your interest and specific items, I can comment on it.

If you read the Darpa bids over the last 3 years, you will get a flavor of what is going on. That does not mean it will happen. There is too much politics involved and the red tapes.

In energy weapons, they are tinkering with lasers to make it more powerful. Unless some general writes a check of say 100 million dollar to do the next generation energy weapons, it will not happen for a while - because those things require faith to execute not 100K prototype.

Today we have the technology to blow one or fifty missiles out of the sky. So energy weapons is not a problem. But we do not have the weapons yet. Target acquisition is not a problem. Finally our military is catching up with civilian technology.

Passive Energy shielding is a problem. No one has any idea what it is a la Startrek. That that is not going to happen for quite sometime. The best solution is to have several expert system based particle cannons (for the lack of a better word) with a computer link to attack the target. Note: any public research is no good unless you are into the technology itself for obvious reasons.

If you speculate, I will tell you if it is valid or not. Sorry, being so long winded....
 
kmguru,

A rather intriguing response to wet1. Apparently the devices I'm messing with are just toys (although fun and just as dangerous) by the standards that you are used to. Even so, I have a question about the diamonds, are they used in laser production or did you mention them because they are used in something similar? None of the schematics I have list any sort of diamonds as part of the lasing sequence. If not laser, then what?

Shadow

P.S. I think I need to do more research. When you asked what size rod I needed, I did not know. Read through all I have and it never says. Schematics say refer to text, text says refer to supplier, so I honestly have no idea. Any recommendations?
 
Hmmm, I am led into endless speculation and curiosity! I glean from your writings more than what was asked for was answered. And yet none. And I do understand the oxymoron having experienced it on other levels. I also see something I had not anticipated. Let me think on this a bit and I will return at a later time with more suitable questions.
 
By shields I had thought in terms of things like they are using lasers to move atoms by force, in reality a type of shield as it is a force that is used to nudge it in the proper direction. I had not thought in Star Wars terms. (tunnel vision) Much the same for energy weapons.

How could energy be stored until it could be called upon for use in an energy weapon? I speculate that energy weapons and shields need a reservoir to draw upon.

Given that effectiveness drops with range, what would be an acceptable and effective range and what would be necessary to boost an energy weapon to that point?

It would seem that such weapons would require some exotic materials. Any you could speculate on?

I think that this would do for starters.
 
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