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Old 10-02-2017, 09:30 AM   #33
malloyd
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Default Re: [Ultra-Tech] What would naval warfare at TL10 look like?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
It's not just an explosion more than 10x what you were considering it's the very much unscheduled course correction.
A "solid tungsten rod" wasn't going to hit anything in particular anyway. Given that a little tumble may be enough for it to break up and burn in the upper atmosphere, even "the ground" isn't a sure thing.

Seriously this has always been one of the big criticisms of orbital bombardment ideas - hypersonic flight through the entire depth of an atmosphere, with all the variable forces that entails, is not conducive precision targeting. By the time you add enough guidance and stabilization and course correction capacity to guarantee you can hit the right city, never mind a smaller target, you've added all the expensive parts of a missile. Assuming you can even do it at all without slowing down to the point your kinetic energy isn't any higher than said missile, which you may not be able to. Count the propulsion stuff you need to move it into the desired orbit before "launch" and you've way exceeded the fuel or energy requirements of said missile too.
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