still less penetration less quick than if u used the nuke to propel a solid projectile real fast. photons have like negligible/arguably nonexistent mass, the real fun with lasers (as weapons) is using them to target enemy optics (mechanical or biological). one relatively weak but rapidly spinning laser array could permanently blind an entire unit or crowd of people nearly instantly if they don’t have specialized protective equipment like high-quality mirror goggles (implausible) or camera/sensor helmets with replaceable/redundant sensors (likely doable in the future but impractical currently).
Project Excalibur was a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Cold War–era research program to develop an X-ray laser system as a ballistic missile defense (BMD) for the United States.
The concept involved packing large numbers of expendable X-ray lasers around a nuclear device, which would orbit in space.
During an attack, the nuclear device would be detonated, with the X-rays released focused by each laser to destroy multiple incoming target missiles
Just increase the power. Use a nuke to pump the laser or something
still less penetration less quick than if u used the nuke to propel a solid projectile real fast. photons have like negligible/arguably nonexistent mass, the real fun with lasers (as weapons) is using them to target enemy optics (mechanical or biological). one relatively weak but rapidly spinning laser array could permanently blind an entire unit or crowd of people nearly instantly if they don’t have specialized protective equipment like high-quality mirror goggles (implausible) or camera/sensor helmets with replaceable/redundant sensors (likely doable in the future but impractical currently).
funny enough they actually do have zero mass, but non-zero momentum.
Isn’t that a war crime?
like many other war crimes, it only counts if you do it to a ‘uniformed combatant’ of a country recognized by NATO
Hey at least something did came out of it: The most used weapon in the sci-fi Honorverse series.