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A comment on Why would a 21st century warplane shoot a balloon with a missile?.

Re:Why would a 21st century warplane shoot a balloon with a ... by throwaway020623 on Monday February 06, 2023 @07:17AM (#34676274)
Are there any laser weapons portable enough to use (either on a vehicle or a ship if the balloon is near the cost)?

I have read about lasers that are used against missiles and planes. I imagine that the balloon would be more fragile. Could it be hurt even if the laser has lost energy due to the high altitude?

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Re:Why would a 21st century warplane shoot a balloon with a ... by mlindner on Monday February 06, 2023 @07:40AM (#34676470)
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Re:Why would a 21st century warplane shoot a balloon with a ... by closewith on Monday February 06, 2023 @07:23AM (#34676326)
The YAL-1 with it's Mega Watt laser may have been able to burn a significant hole in the envelope, but it was retired in 2014: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_YAL-1
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Re:Why would a 21st century warplane shoot a balloon with a ... by lm28469 on Monday February 06, 2023 @07:49AM (#34676570)
You usually don't show off your brand new never seen before army tech to a potential future enemy to pop a literal balloon
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