Re: [SG/DS] Orbital assault

> I can't imagine that there would be more than 100 installations on a
planet worth knocking out militarily, especially if you have orbital
superiority.  So call it 50 hours of bombardment to remove any type of
major military resistance (military bases, supply centers, large
fortifications, automated military factories)  This also assumes that
you've only brought in a single Ortillery ship, three would be more
preferrable to give complete coverage of the globe.

This assumes
a) that you can economically build as large a beam as you want.
b) that beam weapons are effective through atmosphere--you might lose
90% of the effect.  Or 10%, or 100%, or whatever number makes you feel
happy.
c) in some cases, that you can distinguish the hospital from the
school from the armory, and hit only the one you want.	Oops, even if
you only hit the armory, you'll get the school and the hospital from
the secondaries.  Looks bad on the evening news.  (of course, some of
us don't much care about the evening news).

Basically, to make orbital assaults work--and I agree with Beth that
we should have them--then we pretty much have to PSB a reason why
orbit-to-ground weapons are very limited.