Not sure if this is the right place for this, but considering that I'm more interested in the science than the fiction part of the weapon type in question, I hope this thread will give some constructive answers.
So, how possible are directed energy weapons that project lightning in the vein of Lightning Gun from Matrix? How would such a weapon direct it's discharge to a target of your choice? Would it even be possible to have more than a few charges considering the power requirements a device like this would need? Were there any real attempts to use lightning as a weapon? Are there any ongoing researches on this subject today?
>>29512053
We dont have the battery technology. So you would need a really long cord.
>>29512053
I'll talk about aiming the damn thing
That lightning won't go where you need it unless it has some guide wires, like a tazer, otherwise it's gonna prefer metal all around you
>>29512053
Just use a gun.
This is like asking if we can weaponize cheese. Guns already kill people, there's no reason to try and weaponize an extremely weak force to be just as good as something we've already been using for hundreds of years.
US Army developed a weapon to shoot lightning.
It uses a laser to ionize air. So the lightning can travel down this path of least resistance. Hitting what ever you point the laser at.
>>29512073
This sounds interesting? Link?
>>29512103
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-06/armys-laser-guided-lightning-weapon-delivers-high-voltage-through-air
Would make a great plausible deniability weapon for the CIA.
Fly a stealth drone with a laser into a thunderstorm over a sensitive enemy nation area. Laser your targets, such as power sub stations, radar and sat antennas; lightning strikes and damages them.
>>29512053
Cross a vortex cannon with a HERF gun. Fill in with reactive gas like vaporized paraffin run past a high voltage spark gap to energize followed with a squirt of acetylene to propel. The HERF will keep the plasma burning in a channel of microwaves down range.
It wont be a lightning bolt, more like a doughnut of compressed plasma.
>>29512073
Been kicking around ionizing the air with a laser idea glad to know im on the right track.
Still working out how to fast charge capacitors with captured EM field from burning plasma making each shot recharge the next.
![plasma[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/igtdNXG.jpg "plasma[1].jpg")
>>29512071
>not wanting to fart people to death
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB8bkOw_in8
>>29512141
Are we one step closer to Red Alert 2?
There was a ball-lightning weapon developed in the 90s. The project was then classified and possibly shelved.
It may have been a fake story generated by US intelligence to entrap foreign agents.
>>29512423
Heard you could set it to a persons unique EM frequency. Spontaneous human combustion?
Ball lightning in nature has chased people around corners and ive heard stories of it squeezing under doors.
Never wanted to live in a faraday cage more than ever.
>>29512070
you ionize the air with a laser, the electricity will follow the path the laser makes
RUBBER BOOTS IN MOTION
>>29512519
>a persons unique EM frequency
>>>/x/
fuck off with your schizo beliefs
>>29512519
I didn't read anything about a unique EM frequency, sounds like BS.
The weapon was about 1 meter by 1 meter and the ball caused a huge explosion upon impact. Might not actually be ball lightning but the description was similar. I'm thinking either it wasn't effective beyond lights and noise, or it took too much energy to be useful in combat. Or like I said before, it was a fake story designed to fuck with foreign intelligence. There were a lot of those during the cold war. Corporate lies are also a possibility. Remember early in the iraq war the marines had to use a pretend IED detector? A friend of the Bush family was selling the marines a tesla coil on a cheap trailer for something like a million each and calling it an IED detector. The grunts wanted to leave them at base because they were useless, but they had orders to bring them everywhere.
I know someone who claims to have been hit by ball lightning. She wasn't seriously injured, and hasn't made any other odd or strange claims. I see no point in being worried.
