What if a Man Portable Laser Rifle

[Sailor.X]

I will point out that there is no such thing as a clean kill in modern warfare. When you use modern weapons against and enemy they are gonna suffer no way around that. So at this point in history it does not really matter what kind of gun you use they all will be crying their mama in the end.

 

[Scottty]

I will point out that there is no such thing as a clean kill in modern warfare. When you use modern weapons against and enemy they are gonna suffer no way around that. So at this point in history it does not really matter what kind of gun you use they all will be crying their mama in the end.

Was there ever an era in which they had lethal weapons that didn't hurt?

But there's a difference between a weapon that horribly murderkills the person you point it at, and one that indiscriminately massacres people all around, on your own side or the other.
There's a reason that WW1-style poison gas is no longer used. Not even by the Nazis in WW2.

 

[Sailor.X]

Was there ever an era in which they had lethal weapons that didn't hurt?

But there's a difference between a weapon that horribly murderkills the person you point it at, and one that indiscriminately massacres people all around, on your own side or the other.
There's a reason that WW1-style poison gas is no longer used. Not even by the Nazis in WW2.

Mussolini used it in Ethiopia to conquer it. Saddam used it against the Kurds. China is using it right now in far flung provinces. To say such weapons have not been used in warfare after WWI is really not true. And a Portable Laser Gun is no where near as bad. It is no worst than the grenade launcher on the M4 Carbine.

 

[Zachowon]

We are allowed to fire mk 19s at people...

 

[ShieldWife]

Well, I think we pretty much exhausted the discussion of banning lasers. Maybe we could take this topic in another direction.

The OP says that this weapon is powerful enough to overcome all currently existing body armor. How does it kill someone through body armor? Maybe it superheats the body armor in the same way it does flesh, the armor explodes and kills the person beneath, or maybe it vaporizing a thin hole in the armor and passes through to the human beneath.

Anyway, modern body armor becomes less useful, especially if these lasers become widely used. What can the world's militaries do protect their soldiers? Can a new kind of armor be developed that can protect against the laser? How does the laser treat cover or concealment?

 

[Marduk]

White phosphorus, depleted Uranium, Napalm, Agent Orange...
The full list of the the US Military's war crimes and atrocities is a long and grisly one, Zach. I believe that yours is one of the few countries that refuse to stop using weapons that are otherwise banned by international treaty, because they go on indiscriminately killing people long after the war in question is officially over. Landmines and cluster munitions, for example.

Happily, lasers powerful enough to permanently blind anyone in the vicinity of their use are something the USA has already signed a treaty against using.

UNTC

This is the United Nations Treaty Collection homepage. Here you will find related information and links.

treaties.un.org

Vast majority of countries whose current rulers can imagine fighting a serious war outright didn't sign the convention on cluster munitions.
And those who can't or won't, well, its no loss for them to sign it at all.

Blinding lasers are banned on account of being purely maiming weapons, but maiming effects can incidentally happen with any weapon that's not a massive overkill - tiny metal fragments in the eyes from any of the many explosive weapons available can blind someone just as well as any laser, but its a matter of chance and surviving such an unfortunate hit in the first place.

Anyway, modern body armor becomes less useful, especially if these lasers become widely used. What can the world's militaries do protect their soldiers? Can a new kind of armor be developed that can protect against the laser? How does the laser treat cover or concealment?

a) Protective googles and other equivalents become a must.
b) The current vests stay with little to no change. Incidentally, even with no modification, the hard ceramic insert plates meant to stop rifle bullets will already do something to stop lasers, and i would guess the material composition of such plates would get optimized more towards stopping lasers.
c) Some concealment is light cover for lasers. In fact the right kinds of smoke will also be cover against lasers.

 

[JagerIV]

Mussolini used it in Ethiopia to conquer it. Saddam used it against the Kurds. China is using it right now in far flung provinces. To say such weapons have not been used in warfare after WWI is really not true. And a Portable Laser Gun is no where near as bad. It is no worst than the grenade launcher on the M4 Carbine.

Yes, second or third rate powers used gas against barely modern enemies. Anyone else though, the trade offs really aren't worth it. This is a good explanation of the logic of it. Basically, effective use of gas generally requires Gas artillery, and if you are a modern military with modern military levels of logistics, speed, and accuracy, Gas shells are less effective at quickly destroying targets than explosive shells are.

As to lasers, part of the issue here is figuring out what the actual trade offs are. If a laser firing will blind everyone in a town who does not have eye protection, well, its too dangerous to use whatever else its benefits: friendly fire alone would be too extreme.

 

[Scottty]

Anyway, modern body armor becomes less useful, especially if these lasers become widely used. What can the world's militaries do protect their soldiers? Can a new kind of armor be developed that can protect against the laser?

Shiny, reflective armor?

How does the laser treat cover or concealment?

Obviously as something it has to blast through. A laser as powerful as we're supposing would set fire to vegetation, for example.

 

[Aaron Fox]

Shiny, reflective armor?

Nope, any military-grade laser worth their salt would go right through reflective materials like a hot knife through butter. I mean literally. Reflective materials don't react to intense, sudden heat well.

Obviously as something it has to blast through. A laser as powerful as we're supposing would set fire to vegetation, for example.

Depending on the wavelength and output, most likely.

 

[PsihoKekec]

Ablative, heat absorbing materials are more likely to be used.