Scientists invent force field - psi weapons to come next

[Lord Baal]

So how long will it take to discover that this causes cancer?

Just long enough to come up with an alternative.

 

[Bill3000]

nm, brain fart

 

[Speedo]

Lord Baal's idea of using this on helicopters is interesting, but RPGs aren't exactly the number one threat to them. If this could defeat handheld AA missiles, though...

I don't think it would help on helos or other aircraft at all. Modern tanks in many areas have armor so tough that it's equivalent to steel armor plate more than a meter thick. You don't have to disrupt a HEAT warhead by much to significantly reduce its penetration and keep it from going all the way through that much armor. In contrast the best you're likely to find on on aircraft is a few cm of titanium plate (on that's on an aircraft like the A-10 that's considered "heavily armored"). If any kind of warhead goes off near an aircraft, whether HEAT or normal fragmentation, it's going to hurt badly.

 

[GoodGame]

So the counter is then non-magnetic kinetic rounds?

What about LAAAASSEERSS?

 

[Fetus4188]

This sounds like it would be useless against everything but low KE chemical explosive rounds like RPGs. Even stopping a bullet will take a hugely powerful EM field, let alone a tank-killing sabot round. Where this might be useful is on helicopters or light vehicles, but I imagine such a system ifsgoing to be prohibitively heavy for those applications.

So, an interesting idea that may lead to something down the road, but not useful now.

 

[Takhisis]

I wonder how high of a charge it has to be to repel an rpg round and what it portents for the crew inside the tank, hopefully it doesn't sterilize them.

Uuuggghhh!

omg we are gonna invade ing USA lol

And then you can take Southampton over there and maybe they'll scrape a win draw, as the yanks don't know much about football.

I think they're playing up the potential just a wee bit.

A. It's going to take an insanely strong EM field to stop or even significantly slow down something with the energy of an KE penetrator or even just a normal bullet. Generating something so strong with a few supercapacitors and some armor plate...? Not likely, methinks.

Not likely, but not impossible either.

B. A whole heck of a lot of projectiles are made out of non-ferrous materials, so EM fields are kinda worthless against them.

It doesn't affect incendiaries, land mines, etc. either.
Or, in a worst-cas scenario, just blow a hole in front of the tank and stop their advance. Dig a trench?

Reading between the lines, it sounds like it's more of a special system meant specifically to protect against HEAT-type projectiles (which would include RPG's). I'll bet it actually works by using the EM field to prematurely detonate the warhead, so that the warhead's penetrating jet is less effective.

I don't think that system would work with present technological standards.

 

[Takhisis]

And we can always bring catapults back to the game... throw in a round filled with TNT and fire away... plus, the sound won't give up your location...
Or mortars... explosive ammo is the way to go.

 

[stuge]

I don't think it would help on helos or other aircraft at all. Modern tanks in many areas have armor so tough that it's equivalent to steel armor plate more than a meter thick. You don't have to disrupt a HEAT warhead by much to significantly reduce its penetration and keep it from going all the way through that much armor. In contrast the best you're likely to find on on aircraft is a few cm of titanium plate (on that's on an aircraft like the A-10 that's considered "heavily armored"). If any kind of warhead goes off near an aircraft, whether HEAT or normal fragmentation, it's going to hurt badly.

You're right, although I wasn't thinking in terms of absolute protection. A helo's main protection is its manouverability and speed. If this sort of thing could add disruption of missiles to that, it could be a significant advantage.

Of course, then there's non-ferrous materials, AA guns and this system adding weight to the helo. This isn't practical in any from by a long shot, but good fodder for half-serious musings.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Combine this with the world's smallest invisibility cloak and you are all set:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=10137967

 

[sourboy]

Hey Britain... America has been your faithful ally for along time...

Share?

What are you French? We have this technology too. We have FAR more than just energy shields and lasers. Get off OT and do some reading man. Start with Tesla.

As for the tech itself, obviously more practical as weaponization shifts.

 

[cvx]

thumbs up

 

[The Imp]

What are you French? We have this technology too. We have FAR more than just energy shields and lasers. Get off OT and do some reading man. Start with Tesla.

As for the tech itself, obviously more practical as weaponization shifts.

You have been playing Red Alert too much... well, at least the good Red Alerts.

 

[sourboy]

Never liked that series. Seriously though... get off the computer and start poking around.

 

[The Imp]

Never liked that series. Seriously though... get off the computer and start poking around.

Nice story, bro.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Its called armored skirts
The Germans had them in worldwar2

 

[Kozmos]

Never liked that series. Seriously though... get off the computer and start poking around.

I like your avvie. Any chance for a link to a higher res pic?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Mainstream science correspondents can be so adorable sometimes.

 

[Phrossack]

More like irritating- they either don't know what they're talking about or dumb things down too much.

 

[Takhisis]

Any moment we'll get lasers explained as

Pyoum Pyoum! Bzzzt! Lazer Warfare rockz!​

instead of a rational scientific explanation.

 

[aelf]

Psi-tech after force fields?

Don't be stupid. To research Centauri Psi, you need Centauri Genetics and Advanced Ecological Engineering. Photon/Wave Mechanics aren't even the right part of the tech tree!

Um... the power of tech trading?