MIRACL
MID-INFRARED ADVANCED CHEMICAL LASER
First conceived in 1983 when President Ronald Reagan launched
the Star Wars defense program, the weapon called MIRACL - Mid-Infrared
Advanced Chemical Laser is thought to be the most powerful laser
ever made.
Firing a beam six feet wide, it has been steadily improved until
it is now thought to be steady enough to hit satellites. However,
for the scientists who have been designing the laser at the White
Sands base in the New Mexico desert, they want to show that the
laser can not only demolish spy satellites, but also fast-moving
aircraft and missiles.
The U.S. military are desperate to find out what effect atmospheric
conditions might have on the beam and how quickly it could disable,
or vaporise, a moving object.
Arms control experts have warned, however, that a test could start
a global race to develop similiar weapons. "Shooting a satellite
is shooting ourselves in the foot," said John Pike, of the Federation
of American Scientists. "The U.S. is extremely dependent on intelligence
satellites.
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