PRC/PLAN Laser and Rail Gun Development Thread
- Thread starter SinoSoldier
- Start date
Might we be able to say now, that the PLA is really looking into practical AI usage, such as in maintenance and component sensors?
We also had a bit how component sensors were used in J20, and likely, it's probably getting experimented and worked to be used in all equipment and branches of the PLA, including logistics (we had some pics/small video clips about logistics storage with a lot of robotization, I can see AI being something that can be useful there, in various applications even).
Stuff like this is what AI is really useful for, not just as a chatbot that writes your school project report for you.
scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3243373/die-hard-two-years-after-us-killed-rail-gun-china-brings-it-back-life-major-technological-leap
Consider the implications of low-cost railgun artillery rounds with a range of 200km
For example, from mainland China, all of Taipei down to Taichung could be covered. This is where over half of Taiwan's population lives.
A muzzle velocity of 2km/s would mean a railgun round arrives in 2-3minutes.
I am currently trying to get through this thread ever since the beginning as well as the HGV thread so please forgive me if I ask something previously noted, but this development excites me for very specific reasons...
This could potentially solve the problem of us Chinese-Muricans and the rest of the entire diaspora all over the world as far as persecution, genocide, massacres (Indonesia and the Jai Bharats after getting pwned in 1962), and the elephant in the room for all us Chinese here in Freedom-land...what the hell are we supposed to do if they lock us all up inside of concentration camps if the war starts?
It's not the railgun itself that solves this problem, but the technology railguns create.
In the article (and another one I read), the speculation is that this is exactly the kind of stuff that can be used to make a vacuum train mass driver. Ironically, Elon Musk tried to do that epic joke "Hyperloop" thing a few years back.
But assuming it's true, that China can indeed build a vactrain/mass driver then how feasible is it to use this mass driver to launch hypersonic missiles (or any sort of missiles for that matter) straight into the midcourse phase of their flight and only then will the missile use its engines?
How much fuel do hypersonics (or other missiles) use during the boost phase? From my memory of basic missile 'stuff' a massive portion of the fuel that all missiles, rockets, space shuttles, etc. use is during the boost phase where both gravity and air friction/resistance is the hardest to overcome. If this is actually true then, thereothetically, the mass driver system can save all that huge chunk of fuel for the missile to extend its range until the missile is fully capable of reaching CONUS. Is this actually a realistic/plausible scenario?
I'm picturing something in my head like this:
1) Shoot hypersonic (or whatever) missile from the mass driver vactrain into high atmosphere or possibly even into (very) low earth orbit.
2) Missile engages its engines/rockets, but since it didn't have to waste all that fuel starting from the ground it has a ton of extra range.
3) HGV is released at whatever timestamp is deemed best for the mission.
4) BANG
I'm also imagining using a drone or 'drone-like' system for this idea in combination with Tungsten rods. Yes, I might have heard about the whole "Rods of God" from sci-fi otherwise known as Kinetic Strike.
But my logic here is that a drone with AI would be perfect for using Tungsten rods launched at this velocity. The kinda calculations needed to make sure the Tungsten ammo hits its target is exactly what AI is ideal for. Also, since Tungsten is not radioactive it basically denies Cassius Belli for Murika to justify nuclear retaliation.
Honestly, I believe this to be either the perfect solution or a very close to perfect solution on how to both protect us Chinese overseas but also how to get the goddamn McDonald's country to start behaving like a decent and upstanding human being for once!
Why?
Because if this concept becomes a reality then it means that America will, for the first time ever in history, be faced with the very real threat that they may now be on the receiving end and wrong side of all the disgusting, sickening, grotesque, gore-filled, NSFL atrocrities, crimes against humanity, pain, suffering, and misery that they have inflicted upon others so gleefully and with such happiness in their hearts and joy on their faces.
And since they're bullies, just like all bullies, they're nothing but cowards. Once they realize that this time around the victim isn't actually a victim. He's a guy your own size and he can (and will) make sure that you get punished for every attack you make against him then they will finally think twice about committing human rights atrocities.
But, alas, hopefully I am not just getting overly hyper about sci-fi type stuff.
This could potentially solve the problem of us Chinese-Muricans and the rest of the entire diaspora all over the world as far as persecution, genocide, massacres (Indonesia and the Jai Bharats after getting pwned in 1962), and the elephant in the room for all us Chinese here in Freedom-land...what the hell are we supposed to do if they lock us all up inside of concentration camps if the war starts?
It's not the railgun itself that solves this problem, but the technology railguns create.
In the article (and another one I read), the speculation is that this is exactly the kind of stuff that can be used to make a vacuum train mass driver. Ironically, Elon Musk tried to do that epic joke "Hyperloop" thing a few years back.
But assuming it's true, that China can indeed build a vactrain/mass driver then how feasible is it to use this mass driver to launch hypersonic missiles (or any sort of missiles for that matter) straight into the midcourse phase of their flight and only then will the missile use its engines?
How much fuel do hypersonics (or other missiles) use during the boost phase? From my memory of basic missile 'stuff' a massive portion of the fuel that all missiles, rockets, space shuttles, etc. use is during the boost phase where both gravity and air friction/resistance is the hardest to overcome. If this is actually true then, thereothetically, the mass driver system can save all that huge chunk of fuel for the missile to extend its range until the missile is fully capable of reaching CONUS. Is this actually a realistic/plausible scenario?
I'm picturing something in my head like this:
1) Shoot hypersonic (or whatever) missile from the mass driver vactrain into high atmosphere or possibly even into (very) low earth orbit.
2) Missile engages its engines/rockets, but since it didn't have to waste all that fuel starting from the ground it has a ton of extra range.
3) HGV is released at whatever timestamp is deemed best for the mission.
4) BANG
I'm also imagining using a drone or 'drone-like' system for this idea in combination with Tungsten rods. Yes, I might have heard about the whole "Rods of God" from sci-fi otherwise known as Kinetic Strike.
But my logic here is that a drone with AI would be perfect for using Tungsten rods launched at this velocity. The kinda calculations needed to make sure the Tungsten ammo hits its target is exactly what AI is ideal for. Also, since Tungsten is not radioactive it basically denies Cassius Belli for Murika to justify nuclear retaliation.
Honestly, I believe this to be either the perfect solution or a very close to perfect solution on how to both protect us Chinese overseas but also how to get the goddamn McDonald's country to start behaving like a decent and upstanding human being for once!
Why?
Because if this concept becomes a reality then it means that America will, for the first time ever in history, be faced with the very real threat that they may now be on the receiving end and wrong side of all the disgusting, sickening, grotesque, gore-filled, NSFL atrocrities, crimes against humanity, pain, suffering, and misery that they have inflicted upon others so gleefully and with such happiness in their hearts and joy on their faces.
And since they're bullies, just like all bullies, they're nothing but cowards. Once they realize that this time around the victim isn't actually a victim. He's a guy your own size and he can (and will) make sure that you get punished for every attack you make against him then they will finally think twice about committing human rights atrocities.
But, alas, hopefully I am not just getting overly hyper about sci-fi type stuff.
It would be really cool to see rail gun operationally deployed. I feel like Rail Guns and Lasers are among those technologies that always seem just about ready to go but get delayed for decades at a time.
EDIT: I honestly thought the rail gun concept had lost favour in light of energy requirements, missile technology and lasers. Surprised to see it might make a comback.
EDIT: I honestly thought the rail gun concept had lost favour in light of energy requirements, missile technology and lasers. Surprised to see it might make a comback.
So you are proposing a way to cost effectively attack US on homesoil without escalating into nuclear conflict?
The Railgun tech 'lost' steam not because of technical or engineering hiccups, but largely 2 factors:
1) Materials/Technology needed to make a railgun be able to withstand the tremendous forces behind electro-magnetic propulsion was either too cost-prohibitive to justify further efforts or not yet existed...OK maybe there was a bit of a technial problem.
2) The Iraq and Afghanistan Wars essentially put a stop to just about everything high-tech military since Murica is a country that can only see short term gains and never the bigger picture or long-run...who needs railguns against goat herders who may or may not have a few spare RPGs at the most?
Before it was 'stopped' Railguns actually already existed. Yes, even back in the early 00s/90s they had already made, fired, and documented working railguns.
The issue wasn't that they can't be made, but that as soon as you fire them the 'recoil' (not the best term but will do for now) was so immnesely strong that it was completely destroying the entire gun each time...along with whatever platform the gun was on.
As you you imagine this would be more trouble than its worth since if you put this on a ship, tank, aircraft, etc. then you fire once and you destroy a perfectly good and working ship, tank, aircraft, etc. In addition to the gun.
Oh and I guess you did it so you can make youtube videos of an Iraqi teenager who may or may not have been somebody who had a cell phone within 10 miles of an IED mine? Even Murika isn't that crazy (at least back then).
Of course China never stopped research into this stuff because we knew that there is only one war that matters and only one enemy that matters. The War to Lower the Global Obesity Levels (America)...I had to.
Also, just since we're briefly touching on the lost 2 decades of reaserach thanks to GWOT here's a list of things that America seriously ngelected for their military because they re-tooled every parrt of their MIC to fight goat herders with AKs instead of an actual military:
1) TBS (The Basic School...boot camp for Marine Corps officers) used to have something like 26 or so slots during every class for Air Defense Officers. GWOT happened and that dropped to 2. 2!!!!
2) Similar reductions in officer slots happened for pretty much every role that was high-tech or seen as unnecessary for the war against children and goat herders such as EW Officers.
3) Pilots allllllllllll across the military were pushed and basically even forced into CAS pilots or other piloting that is useful against women, children, and goat herders. Specifically, all branches increased the number of pilots they sent for helicopter CAS or other helicopter roles (I guess the Osprey counts here too), but to the detriment of neglecting roles like fighter jet pilots meant for air superiority missions or AEW pilots.
I would elaborate further, but this is probably best left for another thread before I get too far off topic.
In a nutshell...I guess, "yes" would be the answer if I had to simplify it to the most basic form.
However, I have to state for the record that I believe that if my proposal/theories are made into reality then there is a way to deter America from ever doing what they did to Cambodians, Iraqis, etc. onto China and her people.
Test this on Antartica (some random spot away from the annual spawning of Emperor Penguins BTW), and make it as published/show it off as much as possible.
This will give the shock they need since seeing a weapon like this work on such vast distances means that they will understand that their whole perception of invincibility is now gone. Americans truly believe that they can never be harmed here in America because of the distance, but this will shock and scare them badly.
And unlike 9/11 or other 'terrorist' type attacks this is a weapon and an opponent that they know can do this over and over and over again. Meaning, that they will also know that reacting in an angry knee-jerk manner only invites more ruin to them.
Most non-Americans and even immigrants who came to America, but did not grow up as 'American' children don't realize how truly...spoiled the Murikan people truly are. They are exactly like a rich, spoiled kid who was spared the rod. Which is why they do all the sadism around the world...because spoiled manchildren don't realize that they are privileged and temporarily privileged.
That's why a weapon like this will have an effect similar to this:
And should the worst happen. That this does not deter them from massacring innocent Chinese civilians...then China will now have the means to ensure that they cannot do so unpunished.
If they want to get into a game where they see how many civilians each side can endure the loss of this is a way to appeal to the part of all of them that thinks war is like Call of Duty...does Freedomania-land really want to see how a k/d raio of civilians will work after one side has what's almost a miniature orbital bombardment platform?
Seriously? You guys still want to go down this route?
