# Does the USAF really have this superweapon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 26, 2002, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-usaf-really-have-this-superweapon/125606 "2002-08-26T11:43:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-usaf-really-have-this-superweapon/125606/21 "2002-08-27T16:00:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Truth Seeker \* > \*\*The “ideal” weapon doesn’t kill. It merely causes severe injury. Killing 5000 soldiers means that you’re short 5000 soldiers. Severely wounding 5000 soldiers means you’re short 5000 soldiers plus all the personnel and supplies necessary to take care of them. > > For this purpose, blinding and causing serious, though not fatal, burns would be perfect. The casualties require extensive medical care and without intensive training, are unable to care for themselves even after they have recovered. \*\* Sure, that’s the most strategically sound. But it’s against the Geneva convention. Therein lies the problem. ---
**Author:** ![MadScientistMatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@MadScientistMatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadScientistMatt)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-usaf-really-have-this-superweapon/125606/22 "2002-08-27T16:11:32Z")
I suspect that the power isn’t anything close to evenly distributed throughout the 30 cm. Chances are the lion’s share of the power is concentrated in a 5-10 cm diameter ring in order for this to have much of any effect - a far cry from focusing it on a pinhead, but enough at that power level to do a lot of damage. If you spread out the power through 30 cm, it probably wouldn’t do much good against anything except light gauge steel or organic material. The outer ring isn’t likely to damage metal but is still going to be enough to char anything organic. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-usaf-really-have-this-superweapon/125606/23 "2002-08-28T03:06:54Z")
What’s the Tom Clancy book where Clark and Chavez use one of those blinding weapons? ---
**Author:** ![Genseric](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Genseric](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genseric)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-usaf-really-have-this-superweapon/125606/24 "2002-08-28T03:52:52Z")
Well, **Matt** , they did say they following in the article. > [@](#): > > the weapon could selectively destroy ground targets such as communication lines, power grids, and fuel dumps, or even target the fuel tanks on vehicles. So I don’t think it is intended as a tank-killer or anything, it looks like it is mostly designed to eliminate soft targets where collateral damage from high-explosives, even precision guided bombs, would be high. That’s the main concern about the blinding. This would presumably be used in civilian areas, putting non-combatants at risk of being blinded by reflections off, say, cockpits, windshields, chrome, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2002, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-usaf-really-have-this-superweapon/125606/25 "2002-08-28T06:45:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ElwoodCuse \* > \*\*What’s the Tom Clancy book where Clark and Chavez use one of those blinding weapons? \*\* _Debt of Honor_. Though I don’t think it was an actual “laser” they used, and I don’t remember if it’s effects would have been permenant or not (Seeing as most of the people it was used on were killed shortly afterwards) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-usaf-really-have-this-superweapon/125606.md?page=1)