I'm not sure if this belongs in this board but i read some warhammer 40k books and was wondering just how strong the imperial lasrifle is. I did some googling and found some numbers
this is from the lexicanum stats for a common lasrifle
Weight: 2.3 kg
Length: 900 millimetres
Magazine Type: 19 megathule range (rechargable)
Type of Fire: Single shot or fully automatic
Rate of Fire (cyclic): 220 shots per minute
Shot Intensity: low to high
is that megathule supposed to be a joule? Assuming that the battery holds 19 MJ which can supply any where from 20 shots to 100 depending on the energy setting. That means that each shot puts out at least 190KW average on lowest setting and almost a megawatt at highest. i know that that energy doesn't hit all at once and is spread out over the pulse but that is still alot of energy for a weapon which is famously under powered.
Is this right? Any one with any knowledge of how lasers work able to give an idiot explanation of what a laser with that kind of power would be capable of?
>>28085778
Yes, that is more or less correct. It is a DAMN strong gun in the universe, against unarmored targets.
The problem is, as is discussed time and time again, that everything else is so BEEF MC HUGE MANLY MUSCLE ARMOR GUTS RIP AND TEAR that it becomes a more annoying flashlight to them.
IIRC, overcharged blasts, which would be around 20 shots worth, can penetrate standard Astartes/Space Marine tier armor, and do minor tissue damage after penetration, which is pretty good, and it's what Death Korps Krieg use.
It's only considered underpowered because the xenos that it shoots at either have great armor or are crazy tough with multiple redundant organs and just shrug such things off without a care. That's the point of 40k, that the galaxy is filled with horrors that can kill a man easily
>>28085798
>>28085805
Gotcha, that fits with the book and now that i'm doing a little research into the wh40k universe things make more sense.
>>28085778
at a 4 km range in earth atmosphere
1 kW reliably blinds optics
10 kW can reliably melt missile skins
100 kW (no one has 100 kW lasers btw) is well into anti-armor territory
1 MW is... insanity. the air turns to plasma. the target turns to plasma.
>>28085866
Nah m8, theyre pretty much flashlights.
OP here, found this site which explained alot
http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/sidearmenergy.php
for those curious and have the attention span
>>28085878
tell that to Rheinmetall
>>28085866
these numbers conflict with what i've found, can i ask for a source for your numbers?
>>28085932
what have you found?
>>28085932
http://www.gizmag.com/rheinmetall-laser-test/25504/
says here 50 kW is enough for counter-mortar work, mortar bombs have much thicker shells than missiles do
>>28085945
I stand corrected, there is a chart in
>>28085926
that gives approximations of what a range of power lasers can do, on quick skim i mistook references to science fiction for actual military projects
>>28085866
Rheinmetall has a laser that makes 80kW. But its 4 superimposed 20Kw lasers.
>>28085778
The Las-Rifles and such the Guard uses in universe are actually probably the best weapons, pound for pound, that any military in universe issues their frontline troops. They have a lot of pros and only minimal cons.
Pros:
>Light
>Powerful, especially against lightly armored fleshy targets, but they can threaten even Space Marines en masse
>Cheap as hell.
>Retard proof
>Nearly indestructible. They have all of 3 moving parts (trigger, the magazine catch, and the dust cover for the internals)
>Most importantly, excellent logistics. They all, regardless of make or model, use the same standardized charge packs; these charge packs are light and cheap, and they can be recharged off of nearly any power source with a simple adapter or just by pitching them in a campfire in a pinch.
Cons:
>Kinda weak against larger targets, although they do have adjustable power settings.
>>28086036
I meant laser modules, yes
>>28086089
>Logistics
Nope. The Lucius pattern operates in a higher megathule range than most other lasguns, and Ryza pattern laspacks are different in build from Mars-pattern.
>>28086126
It's true that the Lucius uses a higher output, but it still uses the standard packs. It just gets less shots out of them.
I don't know about the Ryza, but I do know that the most recent FFG rulebooks do state that the Guard requires that a regiment's weapons accept standard packs or the Governor of their homeworld could face execution.
>>28086164
What?
One of the Gaunt's Ghosts had an entire story section dedicated to a Munitorium fuck up that resulted in them getting the wrong type of las-pack.
>>28086197
I don't know man, 40k's lore is more than convoluted. I'm just going off what I remember the RPG's saying, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if some other book or something said otherwise. That's what happens when you've got like 90 people writing for the same universe with no set rules and minimal oversight.
>>28086089
I agree with all except the last pro of that list, one of the books that i read was the saint omnibus by abnett, there is a section in the book where the entire regiment were issued with the wrong sized batteries for their rifles because they were different standard size.
