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.

  • gaycomputeruser [she/her]
    ·
    10 months ago

    I misunderstood the meaning of forward operating base. That sounds doable, if anybody could it's the us military.

    Being able to put in a request to have your photovoltaic cells energized by an orbital laser would fix that reliability issue.

    Hate to admit it but it'd be sick as fuck.