The future of warfare may well be cheaper in manpower terms, as budget cuts bite, but it will probably be smarter and more hi-tech ....
The film above, shows US army tests on a vehicle-mounted laser, with a powerful 10-kilowatt laser, powered by batteries and diesel fuel .... they even have plans for a more powerful version using 100 kilowatts in the near future, although some alternative power sources will be needed to boost the increasingly potent solid state lasers.
What with the increasing use of drones, and these lasers, the dawn of 'Push Button' warfare is almost here .... there is a belief by some western politicians that this means we don't need soldiers anymore, as battles are fought by technicians in bases in the the US (near Las Vegas), the UK or Cyprus etc.
However you will always need soldiers to fight fanatics (who don't care about civilian losses), and actually take land back (as the air attacks on the IS caliphate are confirming) .... so the downsizing of western armies in response to the economic troubles is short sighted, in much the same way as it was after the first world war.
Lets just hope its not with the same outcome .....
US Army Video Of Laser Tests
The film above, shows US army tests on a vehicle-mounted laser, with a powerful 10-kilowatt laser, powered by batteries and diesel fuel .... they even have plans for a more powerful version using 100 kilowatts in the near future, although some alternative power sources will be needed to boost the increasingly potent solid state lasers.
What with the increasing use of drones, and these lasers, the dawn of 'Push Button' warfare is almost here .... there is a belief by some western politicians that this means we don't need soldiers anymore, as battles are fought by technicians in bases in the the US (near Las Vegas), the UK or Cyprus etc.
However you will always need soldiers to fight fanatics (who don't care about civilian losses), and actually take land back (as the air attacks on the IS caliphate are confirming) .... so the downsizing of western armies in response to the economic troubles is short sighted, in much the same way as it was after the first world war.
Lets just hope its not with the same outcome .....
It's curious how technology has the effect of sanitizing war. Lasers don't litter battlefields with lead and bullet casings and might even cauterize the wounds of their unlucky victims.
ReplyDeleteI kinda suspect that these sort of lasers cauterise a bit more than a just a wound .... vaporise is probably a better term.
Delete