SPACE BASED WARFARE

Regarding strategy. For Earth type solar system wars where you have vehicles in Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter orbits commanders will attempt to eliminate: space centers, relay satellites, power satellites, orbital transfer vehicles, SSTO's (single stage to orbit as described above) and the GBL. A General will have to devise a strategy where he can eliminate a planets space based weapons and bases and then invade the planetary surface. Landings before the elimination of the space based resources will in the main be commando raids designed to eliminate GBL's.

Attacking forces will take out the easiest and the most valuable targets first such as: solar power collectors orbiting the planet under attack, supporting space stations, orbital transfer vehicles. Battle Cruisers will be stationed in deep space. Defenders will mostly use SSTO, s as these are more maneuverable and more easily deployed than a Battle Cruiser. This will constitute the tactical side of the war.

Battle Cruisers based in deep space will attempt to intercept the attacking force. These can cruise in space for long periods, needing little replenishment of fuel as ion engines, using a minute charge of electricity obtained through solar radiation, gradually builds up thrust of usable proportion, any fast and sudden speed calling for the detonation of an atom bomb in the combustion chambers. Actions in deep space between Battle Cruisers seem to be a distinct possibility.

It strikes me that what is lacking in a lot of sci-fi stories and games are an honest appreciation of what is entailed in a future war. Most writers seem to base their stories upon past naval warfare. This, upon close examination, does not seem to be the way in which future wars will develop. Using the past as a jump of point and then projecting it in to the future in seems that it will be the air breathing vehicles of the twentieth and the twenty -first century that will set the tone for future wars. There will be a land component, but only after the extra terrestrial space encompassing the contested planet and any thing else down to the surface has been won. If there is no space superiority, limited commando raids will be the order of the day aimed at the ground based laser and other military infrastructure. The methods of propulsion will differ from that of the air breathing terrestrial craft as will the structure, the streamlining not necessary, the weapons remaining the same.

The greatest impediment to speed for extra terrestrial craft is the weight of the fuel. In order to reach orbit a spacecraft has to carry nearly its own weight in fuel, witness the space shuttle and its external fuel tanks. It has been proposed by some scientists that ground based laser transmits a laser beam into space where is then directed at a receptor and is then deflected into a combustion chamber. The beam will be pulsed so as to interact with a port on the chamber, which then opens on the induction phase and closes on the power phase. For landing in places where the forces of gravity are involved the beam is put in continuous phase mode that does not flash off and on. This in turn will give a continuous thrust from the combustion chamber allowing for the craft to overcome gravity. However there is a penalty to pay due to the fact that the port is longer being viable. In order to maintain a sealed cylinder zircon ports and mirrors are used allowing for a continuous beam of light to pass through the transparent zircon and on into the port, thus maintaining a closed cylinder as the combustion occurs. As zircon is expensive and laser is strong there will eventually be a break down in the zircon ports and mirrors calling for a costly replacement.

Regarding the vehicles, Dean Ing, scientist engineer and well known author has proposed a circular structure containing a raised center cabin with laser engines situated on the outer skirt connected to receptors on the lower flat surface. Laser weapons taking light from GBL have been suggested. Personally I see no reason to develop a new weapon system when so many are available for air breathing vehicles which, when released from the hindrance of the atmosphere, will be doubly efficient. Besides, it is relatively easy to defend against a laser weapon using mirrors and such like.