Re: Laser snipers

Laserlight wrote:

>SG says snipers sometimes carry laser weapons.  However, I recall a
>discussion in which it was said the x-ray lasers so beloved of my
Traveller
>characters would hardly be silent/invisible--more like a lightning
bolt.
>Don't know whether that was accurate, though.
>
>So, questions for you educated blokes:
>a. would/could a military laser weapon be invisible/inaudible?  Or
would it
>be useless to snipers due to signature?  (assumes a standard Earth
>atmosphere with no unusual components)

Referring to the previous posts it could be invisible to the Mk.1
eyeball, 
depending on wavelength and energy density. IR vision gear is another 
question entirely though - when today's best IR sights can detect the 
thermal output from a low-powered radio antenna, I wouldn't be surprised
if 
tomorrow's IR goggles could detect the "trail" of a laser rifle.

As for using laser weapons to blind the enemy trooper, well... unless 
you're fighting a low-tech enemy or you catch him bareheaded, you won't
get 
a clear LOS to his unprotected eyes.Burning out/through visors or sights

ups the amount of energy necessary to disable the target considerably,
and 
if the visor or sight is all that burns out, well... that's quite a bit 
easier to replace than an eye :-/

Later,

Oerjan
oerjan.ohlson@telia.com

"Life is like a sewer.
  What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."