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From: mchamp@wpi.wpi.edu (Marc J. Champagne)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: What Ever Happened To The Soviet Death Ray?
Keywords: X-ray lasers
Message-ID: <5881@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 25 Apr 89 03:20:28 GMT
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From: mchamp@wpi.wpi.edu (Marc J. Champagne)

>You might be thinking of the Moscow ABM point defense (very old, "60's
>vintage) which uses X-ray lasers to knock out in-coming MIRVs.  The
>X-ray lasers are powered by underground A-bombs, which, although
>destroying the laser in 100 milliseconds, provide enough energy to
>knock out the in-coming warheads.

The Moscow ABM system DOES NOT contain any X-ray laser weapons.  It
   consists of a series of Galosh interceptor missiles housed in
   above-ground canister launchers and a smaller high acceleration
   missile housed in an underground concrete lined launcher.  There
   are a total of 100 launchers, although the high-acceleration
   missile bunkers may have several missiles in a "ready magazine" (a
   violation of the '72 ABM treaty, but that's another story).

The deployment of "exotic weaponry" in an ABM role is SPECIFICALLY
   prohibited by the '72 ABM treaty and has NOT been undertaken by
   either side.  Both the US and Soviet Union have deployed some
   operational experimental type laser weapons, but they are strictly
   for testing purposes and lack the accurate control mechanisms to
   give them ABM potential.

I'm afraid that the Moscow X-ray laser story is pure science fiction.
   Both the Galosh and its decommisioned American counterpart (the
   Spartan missile) used an X-ray kill mechanism....but the X-rays
   were not directed in a laser form in that case either.  The simply
   used enhanced radiation warheads. 


The whole ABM topic is probably a little inappropriate for this
   newsgroup.  So I've tried to just correct the description of the
   weapons systems involved and explain why their capabilities could
   not be as described.  My apologies to the moderator.

[ mod.note: None needed; the posting is quite appropriate.  The 
technicalities of the ABM systems, and how they relate to the
existing treaty, are welcome here. - Bill ]

				      Marc J. Champagne