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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, James Powell writes:
> Why wouldn't *sonic* weapons be ideal
> > for a fluid medium?
>
> Yes, except for one small problem.
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble? :(
>
> > If you can work out the dynamics
> > and the power, wave propigation should be well in your
> > favour. They are, of course, less useful in the air,
> > but underwater they'd be magnificent.
>
> Wave propigation (sp for both of us!). Even if you focus the energy more than
> present methods do, _off_ the transmitter, you will run into the limit of
> boiling water.
Ack, I know this is .debate and I should be all defensive
and contrary and throw chairs at you, but that would be very
silly considering that you're right. ;)
US active Sonar can and does do this, under some
> situations...the SONAR is powerful enough to boil the water off from around • the transducer, which produces a lot of steam, but not much in the way of
> detection. The SONAR which is certanly capable of doing this is the one on LA
> class subs, because when you are deep you can put much more power into the
> water than at shallow depths without this happening (because of
> pressure/boiling temp relationship). IIRC, the active array on a LA can get
to about 220 dB on the face of a transducer.
I knew they ran hot, but I didn't think they ran *that* hot!
I was more considering a sort of focussed series of waves, but
apparently even that would quickly lead to oneself becoming
an Infrared Bullseye.
Here's another possibility: What about meson guns? Nothing
better than firing particles that decay *inside* the target!
Woohoo! The downside, of course, is I don't think the mechanism
needed to perform such a feat is liable to fit on a mecha (even
an outsize one).
One final thought: Gauss rifles.
> > BTW, isn't there a German SMG designed to fire underwater
> > or in exceptionally "dirty" environments...? Range would
> > suffer, doubtless, but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't
> > hallucinating.
>
> the caseless (G7?) I _think_ is the only one that could do that, because no
> case to eject after firing. It's still under development AFAK, and may never
> see service.
(snipped long post from later about P11/G11)
I thought the G11 was already in service, but alas it appears not.
Maybe gauss weapons will be the only way to get around that, some-
day...? (As long as the enemy doesn't throw a wad of fridge magnets
at you, of course.)
best
Lindsay
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Bridget
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| Why wouldn't *sonic* weapons be ideal (...) Yes, except for one small problem. (...) Wave propigation (sp for both of us!). Even if you focus the energy more than present methods do, _off_ the transmitter, you will run into the limit of boiling (...) (26 years ago, 4-Sep-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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