DARPA has tapped Raytheon to design and develop a wireless, airborne relay system to "deliver energy into contested environments," as part of its Energy Web Dominance program, in which DARPA wants to be able to power anything from nearly anywhere.

I wonder if the system can double as an orbital weapons platform with global strike capability. They are talking about eventually scaling to megawatts of laser energy being fired into orbit then relayed back down to a target on the ground.

It's kinda weird seeing US military commanders pushing for tech to eliminate their reliance on fossil fuels. They are careful to avoid mentioning that this system is to replace the need for diesel generators at forward operating bases or jet fuel for drones. I guess that's because US political leadership has a different opinion on being dependent on fossil fuel.

  • sooper_dooper_roofer [none/use name]
    ·
    11 months ago

    There is of course a drawback, and in this case it's the fact that you're throwing a fair amount of energy away to gain that flexibility. You lose some – maybe around 20% – when you convert electricity to light in your laser. You lose more – maybe 50% – when you convert that laser back to electricity at the receiver.

    love 2 lose three-fourths of my total energy supply

    and give away my receiver aircraft's position to anybody with a satellite

    and accidentally a passenger plane that was in the path