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Heavy weapons: Difference between revisions
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===Project Thor=== | ===Project Thor=== | ||
What could be simpler than metal rods, maybe with fins for stability, [[wp:Kinetic_bombardment|dropped precisely from a satellite]] orbiting Earth at 7,000mph (that's 9km/s, or Mach 10)? But what metal to use that can withstand this heat? Easy: tungsten. Melting point of 6,192°F (3,422°C). Boiling point is so high that it would stay liquid on the surface of the Sun. This has never been tried, so we don't know what it would look like when deployed. Obviously you wouldn't see the rods, only the result of their impact; could you see a plasma trail left behind in the atmosphere? Has the power of a railgun, or more, with the advantage that you don't have to deploy the weapon on or near the battlefield. No insanely high electrical consumption. Of course, there's that minor initial cost of orbital installation.... | What could be simpler than metal rods, maybe with fins for stability, [[wp:Kinetic_bombardment|dropped precisely from a satellite]] orbiting Earth at 7,000mph (that's 9km/s, or Mach 10)? But what metal to use that can withstand this heat? Easy: tungsten. Melting point of 6,192°F (3,422°C). Boiling point is so high that it would stay liquid on the surface of the Sun. This has never been tried, so we don't know what it would look like when deployed. Obviously you wouldn't see the rods, only the result of their impact; could you see a plasma trail left behind in the atmosphere? Has the power of a railgun, or more, with the advantage that you don't have to deploy the weapon on or near the battlefield. No insanely high electrical consumption. Of course, there's that minor initial cost of orbital installation.... | ||
===MIRV=== | |||
A [[wp:Multiple_independently_targetable_reentry_vehicle|multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle]] (MIRV) seems like a harmless-sounding name for what looks like (and is) death raining down from above. The invention of MIRV pretty much guaranteed [[wp:Mutual_assured_destruction|mutual assured destruction]] during the Cold War since it's almost impossible to defend against all the incoming warheads. Breathtaking/scary pictures [https://web.archive.org/web/20140606052220/http://blog.markloiseau.com/2012/05/mirv-reentry-pictures/ here]. | |||
==High firing rate== | ==High firing rate== | ||
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===Metal Storm=== | ===Metal Storm=== | ||
[[wp:Metal Storm|Metal Storm]] is closer to a [[wp:Volley_gun|volley gun]] than to a chaingun, the only difference being that a volley gun uses several barrels. Bullets are loaded/reloaded in a single barrel as a "tube" of specially-designed, assorted rounds, and fired in a sequence. The theoretical firing rate of 1,000,000 rounds/min. is as usual limited by the cooldown rate of the single barrel and by the feed rate of the ammo. The guns are intended for CIWS systems, and in that respect are similar to the more conventional gatling gun arrays. | [[wp:Metal Storm|Metal Storm]] is closer to a [[wp:Volley_gun|volley gun]] than to a chaingun, the only difference being that a volley gun uses several barrels. Bullets are loaded/reloaded in a single barrel as a "tube" of specially-designed, assorted rounds, and fired in a sequence. The theoretical firing rate of 1,000,000 rounds/min. is as usual limited by the cooldown rate of the single barrel and by the feed rate of the ammo. The guns are intended for CIWS systems, and in that respect are similar to the more conventional gatling gun arrays. | ||
==High caliber== | |||
The .50 caliber round is the biggest conventional caliber used in military or personal weapons. Watch [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ABGIJwiGBc this famous video] where someone narrowly dodges death-by-.50-cal-ricochet. | |||
==Related== | ==Related== | ||