Beam Weapons: The Next Arms RaceI first wrote about laser weapons in 1976 in an article that was published in the October 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction. The article was fact, but a science fiction magazine seemed an appropriate place for it then. Now that the President of the United States can talk about beam weapons in deadly serious tones on national television, it seems time for a more serious look. This book is based on my analysis of information I've gathered in years of writing about laser technology. I have never had a security clearance, and though that limits the information I have been able to obtain, it means that I can say things that otherwise would be replaced by [deleted]. I have been watching the field long enough to play "fill in the blanks" with censored government documents and to make reasonable guesses of what many of the [deleted]s originally said. There are no simple answers here, just complex technical and defense issues that deserve careful study and that are important to the future of our nation and the world. The defense issues raised in the latter half of the book may seem more immediate to the general reader, but they are inevitably related to the technological background laid in Chapters 4-9. Throughout the book, I have documented my sources as much as possible, while respecting the confidentiality of information given in private. |
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Contents
An Introduction to Beam Weaponry | 1 |
An Outline of History | 15 |
Beam Weapon Mythology | 39 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
able accelerator Advanced aircraft American antisatellite appears applications Arms atmosphere atoms attack Aviation Week ballistic missile battle stations battlefield beam weapons bomb build called carbon cause Chapter charged chemical laser concept considered damage demonstration Department of Defense described designed destroy direction effects effort electrical electrons energy equipment example experiments field fire fiscal Force ground heat high-energy laser idea important infrared intense interest Laboratory laser beam laser weapons launch levels light limited major March material microwave military million mirror missile missile defense needed nuclear observers officials operate optics orbit particle particle-beam Pentagon physics possible potential probably problems produce proposal protect pulse race radiation range rays require satellites Science seems sensors serious short side soldiers Soviet Union space space-based strategic surface target tests types United vulnerable wavelength weapon system weaponry X-ray laser
Bibliographic information
| Title | Beam Weapons: The Next Arms Race |
| Authors | Jeff Hecht, Freelance Writer and Correspondent Jeff Hecht |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | Springer US, 1984 |
| Original from | the University of Michigan |
| Digitized | Apr 13, 2007 |
| ISBN | 0306415461, 9780306415463 |
| Length | 363 pages |
| Subjects | › Language Arts & Disciplines / General Literary Criticism / General Technology & Engineering / Engineering (General) Technology & Engineering / General Technology & Engineering / Lasers & Photonics Technology & Engineering / Military Science |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |