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8 Modern Weapons: Possibilities and Limitations
Therefore, these weapons can be theoretically used both to attack ground and air
targets from space and against missiles in the active segment of their trajectory.
As we know, the atmosphere is transparent for laser radiation in wavelength ranges
of about 0.3–1.0 µm. However, the laser beam, which theoretically freely penetrates
through the atmosphere, is very intensively dispersed in clouds, dust, mist, on various
natural aerosols, etc.
However, the developers of missiles are not resting on their laurels either; for
example, in order to increase the threshold of thermal damage from a laser beam,
the surface of a missile (the shell of a combat warhead platform) is covered with
layers of substances with low thermal conductivity (ablative coating). In this case,
the energy falling on the body of the missile is fully absorbed in this special thin
layer of coating, heating, and vaporizing it completely, but leaving the main basic
structure of the body undamaged.
Warheads also have a solid shell and better thermal insulation, since they are
designed for braking during high-speed movement in dense layers of the atmosphere
(from 10 kJ/cm
3 to 200 MJ/cm
3 ).
There are many more adverse factors limiting the possibility of using laser
weapons on SBS.
Thus, the amount of energy in one shot of such a laser gun must be at least 200 MJ
(which is equivalent to an explosion of 50 kg of the charge of trinitrotoluene).
And since the efficiency of lasers operating on atomic or molecular transitions
is very low (currently no more than 10%), the energy released in the laser radiation
itself is so high that the active medium in which the active laser process takes place
instantly collapses after the first shot, and it is problematic to talk about laser sources
of multiple actions.
Here is another hypothetical example: a number of ICBMs are launched simultaneously from one local enemy territory, i.e., several SBS in this calculation of combat
duty will be opposed by several hundreds of targets (missiles + false targets). Therefore, a standard SBS shall ensure, as a minimum, compliance with the following
requirements:
– Ammunition reserve for at least a thousand shots;
– Rate of fire—at least a dozen shots per second.
In the open scientific and technical press, four main types of lasers were also
considered in relation to the tasks of missile defense:
(a) Chemical lasers based on fluoric hydrogen;
(b) Excimer lasers;
(c) X-ray lasers pumped by nuclear explosions;
(d) Lasers based on free electrons.
However, all these types of lasers have their specific features complicating the task
of their implementation on SBS [1].
For example, chemical lasers emit large volumes of gas due to their technical
specifics of operation; moreover, any anisotropy of gas jets in space is equivalent to
8 Modern Weapons: Possibilities and Limitations
Therefore, these weapons can be theoretically used both to attack ground and air
targets from space and against missiles in the active segment of their trajectory.
As we know, the atmosphere is transparent for laser radiation in wavelength ranges
of about 0.3–1.0 µm. However, the laser beam, which theoretically freely penetrates
through the atmosphere, is very intensively dispersed in clouds, dust, mist, on various
natural aerosols, etc.
However, the developers of missiles are not resting on their laurels either; for
example, in order to increase the threshold of thermal damage from a laser beam,
the surface of a missile (the shell of a combat warhead platform) is covered with
layers of substances with low thermal conductivity (ablative coating). In this case,
the energy falling on the body of the missile is fully absorbed in this special thin
layer of coating, heating, and vaporizing it completely, but leaving the main basic
structure of the body undamaged.
Warheads also have a solid shell and better thermal insulation, since they are
designed for braking during high-speed movement in dense layers of the atmosphere
(from 10 kJ/cm
3 to 200 MJ/cm
3 ).
There are many more adverse factors limiting the possibility of using laser
weapons on SBS.
Thus, the amount of energy in one shot of such a laser gun must be at least 200 MJ
(which is equivalent to an explosion of 50 kg of the charge of trinitrotoluene).
And since the efficiency of lasers operating on atomic or molecular transitions
is very low (currently no more than 10%), the energy released in the laser radiation
itself is so high that the active medium in which the active laser process takes place
instantly collapses after the first shot, and it is problematic to talk about laser sources
of multiple actions.
Here is another hypothetical example: a number of ICBMs are launched simultaneously from one local enemy territory, i.e., several SBS in this calculation of combat
duty will be opposed by several hundreds of targets (missiles + false targets). Therefore, a standard SBS shall ensure, as a minimum, compliance with the following
requirements:
– Ammunition reserve for at least a thousand shots;
– Rate of fire—at least a dozen shots per second.
In the open scientific and technical press, four main types of lasers were also
considered in relation to the tasks of missile defense:
(a) Chemical lasers based on fluoric hydrogen;
(b) Excimer lasers;
(c) X-ray lasers pumped by nuclear explosions;
(d) Lasers based on free electrons.
However, all these types of lasers have their specific features complicating the task
of their implementation on SBS [1].
For example, chemical lasers emit large volumes of gas due to their technical
specifics of operation; moreover, any anisotropy of gas jets in space is equivalent to