Are Laser Tanks Practical?

Topic discussion video about energy weapons. Well, mostly just about laser weapon systems, but I touch on things like plasma and microwave weapons very briefly. Will they ever be used on tanks? In some capacity, probably.
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WH40K Mechanicus - Dance of the Cryptek
Halo 3: ODST - Rain (Deference for Darkness)
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#energyweapons #lasers #tankhistory

[@RedShocktrooperRST]

"Lasers can't be used against infantry" Well, neither can chemical weapons but it's not like that'd actually stop anyone.

[@neodragon1988]

Yeah. "Lasers can't be used against infantry" my ass. They are going to be cooked / maimed by the lasers just cause soldiers dont care about political agreements. Enemy infantry in between you and the target, a little extra ablative armor to burn through before you hit the target. Also treaties only mean something till someone decides not to follow it. Also PMC arent held to the same standards so can use all those illegal things and do the more politically unpopular things if it gets the job done.

[@justarandomtechpriest1578]

blinding lasers

[@irugelgumiho5195]

the laser ain't big enough to properly hurt people with

[@thefirstprimariscatosicari6870]

Alternatively low power lasers could be used against infantry as a technically-not-lethal weapon, like the European Federation from Tom Clancy Emdwar uses their "turbotasers" (actually microwave weapons put it's funnier to call them turbotasers).

[@nopushbutton]

@@thefirstprimariscatosicari6870 I'm not sure why Spookston avoided talking about masers (microwave lasers) but those exist and ARE used against infantry (see the Active Denial System)

[@cristianmartinez5612]

Another negative with lasers are horizons. Lasers don’t arc like bullets do, so despite their range, they’ll never be able to shoot a target that is beyond the horizon or simply behind cover.

[@irugelgumiho5195]

just apply some comic book logic where laser can break a brick in front of the people that hide behind it apparently

[@tragedyofdarthplagueis1630]

To get around that problem, they could do what they did for Excalibur from Ace Combat zero. The Excalibur was a laser system designed to shoot down ICBMs. To be able to fire past the horizon the Belkans used satellite mirrors. It would work like this: Target is detected, Excalibur fires at mirror, mirror redirects laser down to the target. In the Belkan war the belkans used it against aircraft with some success. The Excalibur was destroyed when aircraft came within direct range of the laser.

[@user-ro9zf9kz1h]

@@tragedyofdarthplagueis1630 oh no my worst nightmare, but it may not work since the laser must travel to orbital hight then travel back which will have way less energy due to atmospheric dispersion. laser sattelite can be use for boost phase or mid course defense although I seriously doubt if it could melt through the heat shield of the reentering vehicle.

[@user-ro9zf9kz1h]

@@tragedyofdarthplagueis1630 I think that laser would be use to defend against anti radar missile, cruise missile and tactical ballistic missile when positioned on the ground.

[@jPlanerv2]

One anime i watched used this to fight "op" martian mecha with kinetic weapon very nice to see. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5jNnWVtn9qkpNU

[@embasorangiratina36]

Energy weapons will only work when there are giant speakers that go "PEW!" Or "ZAP!" When they fire.

[@OtherDalfite]

Energy weapons will make war sound so cool

[@petersmythe6462]

Lasers are either gonna sound like gunshots, lightning, or nothing at all. Mostly dependent on whether they're absorbed in the air. Pulsed lasers will sound like very sharp impacts whenever they hit something, and gunshots when they hit things like smokescreens and blow holes in the smoke (yes, that's a real thing).

[@Terra-Antares]

And that the barrel of the energy weapons recoil back like shooting a nuclear bomb

[@JohnTrustworthy]

If they are powerfull enough and fired in athmosphere they'll create a horifying screech from ionisng the air in their path.

[@nichsulol4844]

motherboard can overheating turret

[@Sereze001]

That's where it all began. That smile. That damned smile.

[@irugelgumiho5195]

aw yea

[@fulcrum2951]

😏

[@pyrogothica3906]

"A laser cant be used to intentionally harm an enemy combatant" ha, right. There are no rules In a real war, and it just so happens a certain nation isnt a signatory of the Geneva convention, only an observer

[@UEDCommander]

A nation that breaks geneva convention subjects itself to all kinds of memes, like it can be nuked and nobody will say a word.

[@silverstarofsootclan7507]

Might I ask, which country is only the observer?

[@pyrogothica3906]

@@silverstarofsootclan7507 pretty sure it's the United states. I know it signed some of the conventions but I know that the convention which barred the use of white phosphorus on human beings the united states didnt sign, so I'm assuming that they didnt sign whatever convention(s) barred the use of lasers.

[@Alpostpone]

@Maintenance Renegade United States signed the "don't use laser to intentionally permanently blind people" -treaty. That still leaves a lot of freedom on how to use them otherwise.

[@nullpoint3346]

@@Alpostpone Yeah, it doesn't matter if they're blind if they died before they could testify. I really don't know how to feel about war. I love and hate it for the same reasons.

[@beanlord4347]

Huh. The game From the Depths has a laser weaponry system whose mechanics are spot on to what you said. Worth looking at imo.

[@justiceforjoggers2897]

From The Depths as just in general is super fun in how many ways you can kill a thing

[@irugelgumiho5195]

oh yes send in the nuclear boats to kamekaze a bigger boat

[@Joey5537]

Hah. Imagine a review of something like the Rhino in that game's land campaign. From the Depths has some of the most ridiculously oversized tanks with upwards to 2000mm gauge cannons for the CRAMS. That being said, there are quite a few mechanics that might be interesting to look into. Positioning of ERA armor, the methods of HEAT and HESH protection used. Laser anti-munitions stuff. Yeah, would be interesting to see a review of a few of the tanks, especially the steel empire stuff, which is generally some of the most realistically looking designs.

[@beanlord4347]

@@Joey5537 I love the Onyx Watch and their designs. They're just fortresses masquerading around as tanks. It's awsome

[@ARandomTroll]

1000h+ player here can confirm. damage machanics are worth looking at. also basically all the land designs are make the mouse look like a light tank.

[@TheRealCharter]

"Lasers take a lot of power..." - General Townes Apparently he's lying lol

[@platiuscyndar9017]

It's not that lasers don't take a lot of power - they certainly do - it's just that power (compared to other kinds of ammunitions) is really bloody cheap.

[@irugelgumiho5195]

the realization when they found out how cheap it is

[@user-ro9zf9kz1h]

@@irugelgumiho5195 It really depends if it is running on nuclear power then it will be pretty darn cheap, but if uses a diesel generator then it may be more expensive.

[@matthewserrano4048]

Laser crusader ready for engagement

[@sampanman286]

Lasers make superior weapons

[@pringlex]

Nobody: Paladin tank: IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO

[@CandCfans101]

ENEMIES OF THE FREE WORLD.

[@pringlex]

@@CandCfans101 PROTECTING OUR PEOPLE

[@bigiron7500]

TAKING HER IN

[@gabriel300010]

PALADIN TANK IN THE FIELD

[@gabriel300010]

PRESERVING FREEDOM

[@ishouldgetalif3]

but how about this, check it out: Shark's with freakin' LASER BEAM'S on their head's. eh? EH?! fund me Army. pls.

[@irugelgumiho5195]

forget it put laser on everything even dragon that breathe laser is great too screw it have a car that have the lights be a beam cannons

[@icedwhitechocolatemochafra9851]

Shuddup furry

[@bulldowozer5858]

Now put these sharks in the sky and you have a deal!

[@agall664]

@@icedwhitechocolatemochafra9851 yes

[@quisqueyanguy120]

Dolphins with lasers would be more useful since they can be trained

[@droe2570]

As a 70s to 80s kid, I well remember SDI (the Strategic Defense Initiative), which involved satellite laser systems that could shoot down ICBMs, proposed by Reagan.

[@Sir_Budginton]

Did 70s or 80s computers even have enough processing power to track such a small target travelling so quickly?

[@DavidBarkland]

@@Sir_Budginton The main idea was to bankrupt the soviet union - and the soviets bought it. So it worked. The computers had all the processing power they needed, even though it's a total of nothing.

[@droe2570]

@@Sir_Budginton Tracking was not a problem. NORAD has had the ability to track individual missiles since the 70s, at least. There were a bunch of other technical hurdles, though, which is why missile defense is just ballistic systems these days. X-Ray lasers were proposed as early as the 60s, I believe, as defense measure against ICBMs.

[@Alpostpone]

@@droe2570 Nuclear-pumped X-ray lasers is some of the wildest weapons systems ever proposed.

[@UEDCommander]

@@Alpostpone Well, ICBMs have their warheads encased in depleted uranium, which isn't exactly a very easy thing to melt through, and you would need to do it fast considering that ICBMs are also capable of deploying decoys. Then again, x-ray lasers need a nuclear device to be activated in order to be used, which exponentially increases the cost of the project - since deploying nuclear weapons in space would break a bunch of international agreements and probably provoke a nuclear attack straight away, you'd need to deploy them during the enemy's attack, which means you have to have thousands of carrier rockets on stand by.

[@DavidBarkland]

I'm surprised you didn't mention waste heat: as far as I know, the theoretical max efficiency of a laser is around 30%, with few real-world lasers doing above 15%. This means that all other things being equal, you will melt your own tank before the enemy takes significant damage - not a very effective weapon system. This makes lasers great for firing from big things at small things since you have a much higher heat budget, but would be a death sentence for using against anything larger - such as an anti-materiel rifle being used against a protected jammer or munitions storage. Of course, if making lasers become cheap enough they could be single-use devices that burn out when fired, but it seems like that would negate advantages such as ammunition storage, simpler supply lines, and operations cost - especially as compared to ETC and railguns. As for plasma weapons, I see only one real use: toroid hyper-velocity plasma bolts. The per-shot energy delivered would be much less than a railgun or ETC for the same heat budget, but, in theory, they would stay contained over kilometers and produce directed EMP effects on impact, like firing stun grenades that can ground tanks and trucks and fell fighters and helicopters from the sky (presuming you can hit them). In theory.

[@cristianmartinez5612]

Your mention of waste heat is most likely why lasers won’t be used in space. By firing a laser in space, you inflict more heat upon yourself than your target, and since you can only dissipate heat via radiation, by firing a laser you risk boiling yourself in your own spacecraft. As for lasers as single use devices, a good example could be the halo spartan laser. The reason why you only have a few shots is probably because of the energy cost and the massive heat damage to the gun.

[@cosmic_cupcake]

depends. Active heat sinking can be used to cool your own weapon, while it´s harder for the enemy to cool the point of impact (although I suppose that some sort of active armor cooling system isn´t too hard to construct. still, outboard mounted equipment would be vulnerable). also, you could use disposable coolant that would be vaporized and vented out of the vehicle to get rid of heat.

[@DavidBarkland]

@@cristianmartinez5612 Yes, my background in the subject is mostly sci fi space engineering. But according to a professor we have at campus who used to work with weapons, the primary limitation of the autocannons carried aboard Swedish fighters and IFVs is heat dissipation. Granted, technology marches forward all the time and cooling could be significantly better today or simply an area we're behind in.

[@DavidBarkland]

​@starshipeleven I were unaware of diode lasers. However, 65% is still more than the virtually nothing that can be achieved with cased ammunition since the vast majority of the thermal energy is absorbed by the case which is then ejected. Similarly for the railguns that are being considered for actual service rather than proof-of-concept, the lubricants the projectile is coated in acts as a single-use self-dispensed heat sink that absorbs most if not all heat. As for plasma weapons, I'd like to reiterate what I stated in the original comment: due to the inherent electromagnetic charge and energy, a toroid hypervelocity plasma bold _by definition_ produces directed EMP effects that resonate with the impacted material. Direct damage is nill, but how many modern aircraft can even say airborne if you burn out the electronics? How many missiles can find their targets if you burn out their sensors and guidance systems? And how effective do you imagine automated infantry being if the whole platoon has their CPUs fried? Granted, the last would in terms of required power be more on par with a ship-carried nuclear reactor than the powerplants found on tanks and IFVs, but so is a laser that can melt through a modern tank fast enough to be useful.

[@northropi2027]

@@cosmic_cupcake Agreed. Well, if that is all I had to say I would have just liked your comment and left... Being the firing platform lets you control what the laser heats on you and on the target. Placing the laser in a cooling system that circulates heat through your mass would make the effect negligible compared to the effect of even a fraction of that on a vulnerable, concentrated area of a target. It's still a good trade, even though it would struggle with armor in any case. Active cooling would take power but probably not much compared to the laser, and could possibly utilize expanded variants of existing systems on the vehicle rather than needing its own thing.

[@Anime-117]

*Sees Spookston's Channel Picture Smiling* Me: Anybody else notice that nice smile?

[@jommydavi2197]

I notice a fucking furry looking ting

[@enfield_the_enigmatic2989]

@@jommydavi2197 Remember your manners Jommy, you don't want to make grandma upset again.

[@irugelgumiho5195]

finally someone realize the dude had a fursona

[@portalman4665]

@@jommydavi2197 Great. So what?

[@enfield_the_enigmatic2989]

@@irugelgumiho5195 He's mentioned it in a video before. Either way, what makes you think nobody noticed? It just isn't usually relevant to his videos.

[@2Potates]

Something you forgot to mention is the waste heat lasers have. Also nice smile AwooBoi.

[@noturboy91]

Her: ''he's probably thinking about other girls...'' Me: ''Are Laser Tanks Practical?''

[@arthurmorgan2418]

ALTP

[@looinrims]

Damn KZbin is depressing when it reminds me of my life

[@gunner2225]

😂

[@_Matsimus_]

Lmao our timing is ironic

[@strelok3746]

I dont think energy weapons Will ever replace bullet based weapons simply because theres no reason to, manufacturing a laser rifle Will definetly be alot more expensive than Just making another AR, for no real benefit in my eyes, and infantry engagements dont often happen at such long distances that a laser's speed would be useful So while lasers migth be used for some specialist roles i dont think they Will ever fully replace conventional weapons, there are just too good and compared to lasers, much cheaper

[@stingray2223]

STRELOK The lasers would be very spot on for space combat, for many reasons. If we will ever have one

[@justiceforjoggers2897]

Yeah, space based combat would probably utilize "low power" lazers, don't want to be damaging the only space station you have

[@highgrounder5238]

@@stingray2223 Laser melts through armor, and heat is the thing that every spacecraft can get rid of the best. The heat given by the laser will be dwarfed by the reactors you'd need to power them. Also, diffusion will make it very hard to focus them on a spot at the ranges we are talking about.

[@midamulti-tool]

@@stingray2223 bullets theoretically have infinite range in space and if we have the technology to make spaceships we probably will have the technology to make faster bullets so that the speed for power trade off makes bullets clearly superior for space combat

[@platiuscyndar9017]

@@highgrounder5238 Spaceships are good at diffusing heat WITHIN THEIR INTERNAL SYSTEMS. They're not really that good at diffusing heat pointed at some random spot on the hull. Beam diffusion applies *a lot* less in space. The primary source of diffusion that Spookston is reffering to is atmospheric diffusion - which is pretty much the primary source of diffusion, period. "Laser bulelt spread", so to speak, is the only source of diffusion that applies in space, and it's quite minimal.

[@almostamateur]

I can see lasers being used as AA fairly commonly within the decade, but not in any other role.

[@alexdunphy3716]

Lasers are also great for fucking with sensors. Sensors and optics are weak

[@AtomicBlastPony]

Also air-to-ground, planes can mount more powerful lasers and we already have target pods that keep a target designation laser pointed at the target.

[@TheTrueAdept]

No, it'll probably become standard within the coming century at most, if not the coming decades, for vehicles, especially if they're Free Electron Lasers (FELs), which are ludicrous in theoretical efficiency with diode lasers being close behind. Also, given that EndoSteel showed up back in 2017 (the composite metal foam that noped .50cal ammunition), Battletech might be right on the money on armor and some aspects of weapons as well (given that B-Tech lasers are, at their core, free-electron lasers)

[@AtomicBlastPony]

@Thumli Koben Did you have a stroke?

[@AtomicBlastPony]

@Thumli Koben I pity you, it sucks that you have to avoid mirrors

[@noobmaster5411]

I hope they are practical because so many universes use them

[@irugelgumiho5195]

oh it is just hope your enemies don't bring a mirror into the fight that can potentially be use as a deflecting object against your precious raygun

[@noobmaster5411]

@@irugelgumiho5195 hmmmm good thinking

[@caav56]

@@irugelgumiho5195 With the power density the actual combat laser brings to bear, mirror won't do jackshit. Any tiniest imperfection will instantly compromise the entire reflecting layer and then it just goes melting all the way through from here. Within the laser, beam is diffused and specially-manufactured mirrors can (barely) withstand it. Once the main mirror focuses it into a pinpoint of destruction, mirror armor no longer works.

[@noobmaster5411]

@Thumli Koben you know lazers are always weapons maybe we need laser guided weapons. lazers can burn through armor. sure they would be expensive but mitary equiments is already expensive. plus Im not saying they need to make Lazar weapons that are so powerful they could destroy things with one blast more like a tool to break metal.

[@smanchgibley3839]

stay safe spookston also dont forget about de cache

[@alexreynolds4199]

using a mirror on your tank as a big no u uno reverse card

[@thorshammer7883]

What's your thoughts on huge vehicles in Sci Fi that carry other vehicles like tanks and troop transport cars inside of itself?

[@Spookston]

Depends heavily on the environment and the mission.

[@nullpoint3346]

Are you talking about mobile hives?

[@thorshammer7883]

@@nullpoint3346 Mobile bases basically.

[@republiccommando6104]

@@Spookston So what about the Kapisi Expedition in Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak.

[@magosexploratoradeon6409]

@@thorshammer7883 What about Hives but instead of vehicles it's bomber drones/attack drones? Is it practical?

[@mivapusa]

There's a reason the Imperium gives lasguns to its infantry, but keeps its tanks with projectile weapons. The Leeman Russ destroyer is a notable exception because it's meant to shoot at things big enough that the horizon isn't really a factor.

[@GM-vt6is]

Laser weapon advancements on big vehicles would actually see a return of unguided, or at least mass driver saturation weapons - i.e. loads of heavy, over the horizon munitions with minimal explosives. Cant be detonated or melted in time, dirt cheap, no retaliation fire due to target not being in direct LOS. However, lasers have a huge application as anti- infantry weapons, particularly snipers. Completely silent and invisible, only needs to burn through a very thin barrier (half an inch of bone), no need at all to adjust for weather conditions. Point, shoot, target dead, repeat.

[@cocopud]

Lasers also have minimal area of affect. This is desirable in scenarios where collateral damage and risk to friendlies needs to be minimised. However this also makes them incapable of being an area weapon. A laser beam cannot carry ‘cargo’ either - so no HE, cluster munitions, airbusting charges, gas, bio, incendiary or nuclear etc. This is why Directed Energy Weapons will never completely supplant conventional weaponry. Instead they will supplement them 😎

[@justarandomtechpriest1578]

Laser arr by nature INCENDIARY

[@z3r0_35]

I guarantee you that the “no use against human targets” for lasers will eventually be thrown out entirely once whoever writes these treaties comes around to realizing that one, the major powers are going to abuse the hell out of every loophole they can find (or just straight-up ignore it in the event of another world war), two, the ban is almost impossible to enforce (you could always claim that you were trying to melt the cover the targets were hiding behind), three, it’s not really any less humane than shooting somebody with a bullet, and four, space warfare finally becomes a thing despite treaties intended to curtail it (since lasers will likely be the default weapon used in space combat).

[@HungryHunter]

you can add: "its not a laser is a radio beam emiter!"

[@z3r0_35]

@@HungryHunter Or better yet, "it's not a laser, it's an infrared flashlight!"...which in the strictest sense would actually be true, and such tech has been used in military applications since the 1940s. The bit about radio beam emmitters would be more plausible for maser (microwave) weapons...which are, functionally, just really powerful, highly focused radar equipment (radar itself was originally developed as an attempt at creating a directed energy weapon for anti-air defense).

[@creepadept]

Why the fuck Does it concern international treatise!! U kill a person either way with a chainsaw or a grenade, it’s suppose to be war where the only thing that matters is killing enemies faster than they do the same,why does feelings come into play?

[@z3r0_35]

@@creepadept If a weapon causes "unnecessary suffering" in the view of the Geneva Protocols, it's inhumane for use in warfare. Know what's on the list of banned weapons? Hollow-point bullets, even though they kill faster than FMJ (generally speaking) and they're not too useful in symmetrical warfare due to the proliferation of body armor. Lasers, in my view, are no different than killing somebody with a flamethrower (which AREN'T banned, it's just that nobody uses them anymore because they're considered obsolete, and more of a liability than an asset)...actually, scratch that, a laser is more humane than a flamethrower. A laser can be dialed back to nonlethal settings if needed, it's WAY easier to take cover from one, and you generally have a few seconds' warning between when you feel the beam hitting you and when you start being cooked, giving you time to find cover.

[@highgrounder5238]

Could you perhaps expand the series to include far future of warfare? I'm talking vacuum ready tanks, how will they be powered, what guns will they use etc. Also, Deserts of Kharak pretty please.

[@robot5626]

Spookston got a new image I like it

[@ALV694]

Could you make a future video on 1. Tanks and ifvs used in End war 2. Tanks and ifvs used fuel of war Frontline 3. Tau vehicles from 40k namely the hammerhead gunships and it's variants.

[@ALV694]

@William Smith umm thanks??????? Though I doubt spookston will see this

[@Cuteseals2]

4:30 The star wars Juggernaut has missle defense system that uses a laser to burn middles as well.

[@johnderat2652]

Bro when's the Destiny vid coming ? I haven't seen this vid yet obviously but I'm sure it's gonna be great! edit; I finished the vid, and as I predicted, it was great! Keep up the good work!

[@whoelsebutmeofcoursei]

do you know what game is he playing on the background?

[@Ally5141]

@@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Command and Conquer: Generals

[@gooseling2277]

Another episode of Spook destroys Sci-Fi Technology, gotta love these man

[@cheyennereynoso4116]

Yes! I’ve waited all day to see this.

[@WhiteWeaseI]

Not sure how youtube likes links, but there's an article/blog titled _The Photon Lance_ that goes in depth about lasers in use in warfare. It's from a game called Children of a Dead Earth where lasers fill exactly the role you described in the video: Short to medium range point defense and/or precision damage. Another issue lasers have besides 2:40 is that lasers are also not only limited by diffraction, but the minimum diameter of the beam, as we aren't even close to making diffraction limited lasers yet, so their damage falls off greatly with distance, and there's only so much power you can pump through the thing to compensate before you melt the thing.

[@madcat789]

They've created a Plasma weapon that can fire two feet? I wonder what it looks like.

[@kostekkostek8001]

I believe its a thing called marauder project - its like your typical vaper, but insted of shooting smoke rings its shoots plasma rings. I dont remember exact specifics so feel free to read it ypurself

[@PSC4.1]

Can I see a rail gun on a tank: yes Can I see a laser on a tank: Highly unlikely shifting towards no

[@andrewnguyen7802]

*IMA FIRIN MY LAZER* Another awesome video. Keep up the good work!

[@dsdy1205]

The lasers used in most current military demonstrations are continuous wave lasers i.e. the beam is steady in power output. However if you pulse the laser, it is possible to apply much greater damage to a surface through shock heating, even leading to ablation and spalling, while still employing the same average power use.

[@ShadowFox0324]

Another solid video. Will you ever look into exosuits like power armor? Can't remember if you have done one Enjoying the videos

[@Spookston]

I have a video on power armor: kzbin.info/www/bejne/faLTkJ-vmdZrjpI

[@frens_till_the_end]

I really like the new profile picture.

[@treyspencer1659]

Keep up the good content. 👍

[@type93thunder]

“Tens of dollars” That makes it sound much more expensive than it is

[@danielmyers-cowan3416]

Imagine some sort of system that uses a potent laser to ping a target and soften them up while some sort of kinetic missile follows shortly after, I think those would work in tandem beautifully

[@Sarindanvelor]

tbh for plasma weaponry to work you're best bet might be to combine the idea with some form of railgun setup where you're creating the plasma then capturing it around a hyper magnetic slug and using that as the carrier for the payload

[@caramel3622]

Love your new profile pic ^^

[@t26e44]

Valkyia Chronicles pls? I find those vehicles really interesting

[@nathandamaren2093]

Good old VC. Love the Edelweiss although it should have a gunner in adition to the commander and driver. Hafen is also a good design that suffers from this same drawback. The Imperial tanks are also interesting as they have a mix of russian and german inspired designs.

[@HungryHunter]

@@nathandamaren2093 the imperial tanks are crasy artworks of a tank. They look in part like a m3 lee with the hull and turret gun. Some have even MGs on the back there turrets. Edelweiss is a enigma for me: HOW is this thing not taken away from the RnD department for massproduction? How is galizia even able to muster tanks if tanks are handcrafted by the darksen and in part by the darksen alone. Edelweiss starts as a panzer 3 becomes a panzer 4 and is in the end a panzer 6 but this can be played out as playerprogression or will lead us the the "Ship of Theseus" problem. Funny how in VC2 edelweiss is just... gone and no mention on the invention of plains (beside the giant ass airfortress)

[@t26e44]

@@HungryHunter its said in various places that the tank was used by General Gunther in the last war meaning it is old and its also mentioned in the post war tanks that they are modified versions of edelweiss for mass production. For the thing about Valkyria Chronicles 2... idk, my guess is that it was mentioned due either to the main characters not being related to the original ones or just laziness. I do agree that the imperial tanks are a bit too medieval looking and obsolete looking for what is said in story.

[@t26e44]

@@nathandamaren2093 I didn't really like the Hafen due to it literally being just a warped m4 sherman, I would have liked it if it had been something like a mix between various vehicles as was in the first game, something like a mix between the Hellcat, T23, and the M4 would have been interesting. The imperial vehicles are the really the only ones which I feel look moved backwards from the game's setting of roughly WW2 setting. I feel the german element mainly falls on the Gallians while the Imperial tanks are just Russian T28 and T35 tanks with medieval design.

[@HungryHunter]

​@@t26e44 I imagen that after Isara death edelwiese condition got worse and worse. With luck and isaras and her fathers papers it got maintained to the end of the war. After that (where VC2 begins) noone had an idea how to maintain it for long and got left in a barn for VC5 or something. To your comment to Nathan VC4 imperials tanks are still the german legostacks of tanks and only the spacial tank unit was russian. It was explained but not well. Hafen was just ally tank of many. They boxed themself in with the early "we are just one of many units" and the late "we are limited supplies" thing. The only way they had in my view is to add stolen parts to it to make it a crasy frankenstein of a tank. But VC didnt play by the VC rules it just played it save.

[@TheYargonaut]

Just gonna plug styropyro on the topic of compact power for lasers, he just made a quite powerful handheld laser gun.

[@jayburn00]

Investigate pulse lasers. It is possible for a pulse laser to be configured to create an resonance like effect, causing targeted material to shatter and spall. Also pulse lasers prevent the heat from the laser from becoming diffused through a material, keeping the heating effects from spreading out from where the laser is hitting.

[@privateplatiboi48]

yeah now this is the hardcore starcraft content that i wanted

[@enricopaolocoronado2511]

"I can't speak for the infantry side of things." Well, given how the Imperial Guard has flashlights, I can see why.

[@heirofaniu]

As far as plasma weapons go there's actually an interesting video on KZbin of a guy with a homemade "plasma rifle" that's actually a homemade railgun. What makes it a "plasma rifle" is the round it's firing; he took a glass tube, filled it with a noble gas, (I believe it was Xenon), and then added a copper band around the glass tube in order to allow the projectile to be fired by the rails. As the glass tube moved down the rails the massive magnetic forces of the gun ionized the gas inside the tube, turning them into plasma. When the projectile struck the target the glass shattered but the plasma inside continued through the steel plate he was shooting. The shot made in the video was extremely short, probably about 15-20 feet (about 5-7 meters), but it might be a potential avenue for future plasma weaponry.

[@S.W.01]

There are other methods though with lasers that mimic traditional projectile methods: if you had one very high powered discharge as a "shot" it would cause a surface explosion depending what it the target has on/in it (think steam explosions, etc.), that could be a basic method; a more complex version of the same principle could in theory liquefy the impact area to a smaller or greater degree and again have explosive side effects (might start igniting the air a little at this point and have a more sci-fi like laser). A pulse laser in short, verging on plasma weapon (unless you're in space).

[@Tarik360]

Spookston went full Colgate. Reminds me of Styropyro's 2020 super laser. It's tiny and could probably be fitted to a tank to protect it now. Paladin tanks soon!

[@ANTSEMUT1]

Pulsing a laser at some intervals of microseconds can be be to circumvent the heat focusing problem and save power to boot so there's that.

[@alm5992]

Taking some risks with those power plants! And your drop pad design is just like mine lol

[@bazookaboss332]

'Can't be used against personnel' Name ONE time ANY side has obeyed rules of warfare.

[@eridon63]

Next time , speak about the Desert of Kharak vehicles , and if they are plausible/possible (in their own universe AND if its the same in our reality/planet) would be so great !

[@thomas.02]

lasers can best be used in space, since 1) there's no (well, practically none) atmosphere to diffuse your laser, 2) enemies can't really hide 3) spacecraft usually have more than enough power output for a decently powerful laser and 4) in the long engagement distances of space warfare, the speed of light means the enemy can't react to the 'payload' with specific evasive maneuvers as they can if they detect an incoming kinetic weapon (however, the enemy can still take preventative/preemptive evasive maneuvers)

[@racer927]

Finally, lasers can me more used to *disable* enemy space craft rather than destroy them and contribute to Kessler Syndrome.

[@coderbert3996]

I would consider the laser weaponry a secondary tech tree to the arsenal of war. In many sci-fi based games, lasers exists parallel to solid formed kinetic weapons as an anti armor/anti hull while kinetic is used for bombardment and shield destruction. It would never replace, only to raise to a place where it coexists.

[@TruePacifist201]

You make very good points, all of which I honestly agree with, as far as I'm concerned tried and tested is better than cutting edge. Just because a piece of technology looks cool on screen, doesn't mean it's practical.

[@brokenursa9986]

Something else important to consider is that versatility of tank ammunition is lost when switching from a traditional cannon to a DEW (directed energy weapon). Most tanks carry a variety of ammunition designed to do a variety of tasks, including, but not limited to, eliminating large groups of infantry, softening up stationary enemy defenses and positions, destroying enemy vehicles ranging from ordinary pickup trucks to other tanks, and also dropping smoke to cover allied troop movements. DEWs can't do a majority of those tasks. On my own designs for sci-fi tanks, I originally had the tanks mounted with a powerful DEW until I realized that a traditional cannon was actually better for most tasks. After that, I redesigned the tanks to use a normal cannon, except for the dedicated tank hunters (think the Sherman Firefly), which kept the DEW, since it was stronger against vehicles.

[@Khorne_of_the_Hill]

I was hoping you'd mention PEPs weapons; I think they're really cool also, I think the rule about using them on infantry only precludes using lasers to cause blindness, but allows their use as lethal weapons

[@nichsulol4844]

the charge component can be damage and need repair if too much overheating hardware

[@Phos9]

Directing a laser against metal thick enough to be called armor has an interesting effect: the metal at the point of contact vaporizes and then continues absorbing the laser, reducing its effectiveness even further. A thick plate can also sink the heat away.

[@ekszentrik]

I just find it funny how the laser tank has to point at the conventional enemy tank for ages and tell themselves "come on come on burn up already, any second now", while the other tank slowly traverses its turret and shoots at the the laser tank who has to stay in a direct line of sight the whole time.

[@mr.normalguy69]

Please make a video on missile tanks, not only they can be seen in video games but also majority of the modern tanks use missiles along with traditional munitions like HEAT, HESH, APFSDS etc.

[@illturralli]

There are pulse lasers that pack several times the punch than regular lasers. But are a pulse instead if a stream

[@olegoleg258]

Can we maybe have a video where you explain the advantages/disadvantages and uses of differently sized vehicles? Because a small tank can oneshot a big tank just as well asy any other tank can. So what is a big tank's use?

[@csbr75]

The presence of C&C Generals puts a huge smile in my face

[@user-le8wr4yz6q]

Szhatie “laughs in cooked infantry”

[@styxriverr5237]

Have you heard of Project Marauder, it was attempt at a plasma railgun apparently it's test fire was successful but information on the project goes dark after that. Also it uses the whole word marauder as an acronym which I find funny.

[@MrFastFox666]

I think heat would also be an issue. I'd guess that a laser capable of melting metal would heat up quite a bit. This could potentially affect the optics themselves, making the laser less concentrated and thus less effective, or even outright disable the laser if it overheats.

[@samiamrg7]

Another hard part about using a laser against a tank is that targeting the turret is pretty much out of the question because it can be turned to mitigate hotspots so easily. However, even a tank’s hull can be turned pretty easily to take the heat off of a spot being targeted.

[@thealmightyaku-4153]

There are (so far mostly still theoretical) laser technologies that would make them more practical as weapons called "pulsed lasers": lasers that fire in extremely short, rapid, powerful bursts. Even relatively low power lasers using this technique would drill, or even explode through armour.

[@cnlbenmc]

Well a Laser built to kill armor would probably be best used in the single pulse fire capacity as opposed to the more traditional continuous wave fire (pulse looks like a single discharge whilst wave is akin to a continuous beam). A good example of a pulse laser in fiction would be the Lascannon from Warhammer 40k and the Obelisk of Light from Command & Conquer and as a bonus both are designed to kill tanks.

[@type93thunder]

Lasers would probably be great at taking out barrels. High accuracy and OK damage, it would be pretty effective

[@thepoglin8479]

"We were told to disable and not destroy them!" "Switching to medium rare mode!"

[@plasmancer6104]

“Are laser tanks practical?” Starts sweating in Land Raider Terminus Ultra

[@LAV-III]

Starts sweating in shadow sword

[@MrPerson61]

I think whenever we make space travel and eventual space warfare commonplace, I bet Lasers will be the go to weapon. That way you don't have to worry about all the extra weight all the rounds for your cannons will add when transferring them from the ground to space, the laser can just use the ship's core powerplant as its energy source. Plus this way you don't have to worry about missed shells hurdling through space for eternity. (insert Mass Effect 2 reference)

[@Garlan4]

Basicaly lasers can only be used as efficient anti-air or anti-missile defense weapon. But what if in the future the find a way to miniaturize a laser sistem to the size of a bazooka ? Like in Akira. Immagine a squad of soldier equipped with those.

[@gavinkemp7920]

1:50 careful high power laser are often chemical based especially the very high power ones or the ones on low power high mobility plateforms. I expect its still cheaper but it not free.

[@samiamrg7]

One other disadvantage of lasers is that they are strictly a direct fire weapon unless you can set up some complicated system of mirrors, which is a technological hurdle unto itself (and the mirrors would be extremely vulnerable to damage). Oh, yeah, lasers are also pretty useless against all but the thinnest of concrete, masonry, or earthwork fortifications. Even if it penetrates, there is no way to send an explosive through to destroy what’s inside like with an AP shell or bunker buster.

[@jplabs456]

HOLY SHIT SHOT 3 IS C&C I LOVE THIS CHANNEL ALREADY

[@RegenerationOfficial]

Rheinmetall implemented lasers into the all inclusive air defense pack as an cheaper option to the mantis auto cannon. Their tests with mortars are quite interesting

[@HungryHunter]

rheinmetall makes so cool video sometimes i wish there was a rheinmetall game about there products just for the luls

[@electronkaleidoscope5860]

Another HUGE thing to consider with lasers is that they can blind your friends. As in literally, just looking at a visible laser beam that is strong enough to do damage when targeted can straight up blind someone who isn't wearing eye protection.

[@strictlynunya790]

Brigador has a good amount of laser/nonconventional weaponry in it, while not relying wholly on suspension of disbelief to make them feel plausible. Alongside all the various conventional cannons, autocannons, machineguns etc. the player is able to field chemical weapons, irradiators, vortex cannons and irradiators to name a few. It's got a lot of content I reckon you could dig into, check it out.

[@mikebauer6917]

What If the laser is paired with a force multiplying weapon? Perhaps a shell that bursts and covers the tank in something like Vantablack (i.e., super absorptive) mixed with a very hot burning material like white phosphorus. Then the laser shot would ignite a fast burning, hot cloud of material around and on the tank, with perhaps considerable heat damage and oxygen deprivation for the engine and people.

[@thexlonewolf671]

Can you make a video on the vehicle design in Deserts of Kharak?

[@stylesrj]

So you mention lasers, but what about particle cannons? Something about high velocity projectiles that are easily dispersed... but if you use a laser to heat up the air in front of the particle stream, it becomes much more effective and more powerful than just the laser itself?

[@t.b.cont.]

Are *tanks* practical though? No of course they aren’t. We should just charge the enemy by horseback like true gentlemen.

[@javanbybee4822]

Douglas Haig, back from the dead I see

[@petersmythe6462]

A major distinction needs to be made here. Pulsed lasers might fire 100 pulses per shot each a nanosecond long and a microsecond apart, with each pulse being a hundred kilojoules and focused down to as small a point as possible with a large lens. A weak laser rangefinder might well activate for under a millisecond before firing so that the lens can be autofocused, but nobody would have time to react, as the pulse train would come immediately afterward. The impact of the pulse would flash the surface of the target into a million degree plasma which would expand in nanoseconds and create an intense shockwave, which would blast through air and steel alike. This million degree plasma would emit a broadband light spectrum, including ionizing radiation that would be absorbed and re-emitted until a fireball had formed. Within a microsecond or so, most or all debris is cleared from the crater and the next pulse hits the crater floor, drilling into the vehicle. The impact flashes are broadband. Only a small percentage of light actually gets reflected, and almost none is reflected off the million degree plasma itself. The million degree blackbody radiation is absorbed by surrounding air and re-emitted in a 10000-degree fireball which is more transparent to visible light. Overall, the energetic efficiency would be similar to tank penetrators of similar thickness.

[@darkravenbest8970]

Em, actually laser cant used against human targets only as blinding weapon, if you are intending to blind them, there is no penalty against weapon which will boil them and explode.

[@Bowfella]

They are banned against human targets because it uses heat to kill the target which is why flamethrowers aren't used anymore. If your target doesn't burn alive then they become a burn victim or blind.

[@hammerfallprotocol]

I don't know about laser tanks, but if it was on a jet fighter it would be real damn cool. It's even better when the pilot believes in world without borders.

[@FreedomFighterEx]

Spookston showing teeth to us. Is that a threat. . .?

[@ERIK-457]

A lot of people imagine lasers working like kinetic weapons but actually they are more like a flamethrower with massive range and travel speed and insane accurracy to be considered as a flamethrower

[@hibikiverney4146]

Me watching you play generals: SPACE. YOUR. BUILDINGS!

[@thefirstprimariscatosicari6870]

I won't expect energy weapons to be as or more effective tham kinetic/chemical weapons inside a planet atmosphere until we phaser tech level territory, and at that point ground warfare itself would be in the backseat regardless. The dissipation is just too strong. But if we were to figure out an energy-kinetic/chemical weapon hybrid, then maybe that's how they could be used as an MBT's main weapons.

[@joshuawilliams9020]

Particle Beams? They hurl sub atomic particles at the Target at near light speed.

[@nichsulol4844]

@@joshuawilliams9020 anti biology cell flesh?

[@autochton]

The limitations of lasers as weapons fall off a fair bit if the conflict moves to space. Ranges extend to tens to hundreds of kilometers, or further, and a laser can likely hit a maneuvering target at such ranges with reasonable accuracy. Beam attenuation does start to become an issue at these ranges - basically the focus of the beam causes its diameter to widen far enough to limit the weapon's effects. Kinetic weaponry in space deals with a much harder firing solution, as the travel time of even a hyper-velocity rail gun projectile becomes significant very quickly. Today's rail guns can achieve some 2.5 km/s velocity - but that's still a ten-second travel time to hit a target at 25 km range, which a laser can trivially hit. Contrariwise, kinetic projectiles do a lot more damage if they *do* hit. A likely outcome of this is that space warships may end up mounting weapons of both types.

[@yagirlblakiee]

Did... did Spookston just approve of a Sci-Fi thing?

[@eichler721]

Laser weapons have a lot of advantages and the main guns could shoot down incoming missles. We just lack the tech or power to make them feasible to tanks or Infantry in the near future.

[@RaderGH]

Styropyro! We need you to make a laser that can cut through tank armour!

[@felixfeder7106]

Spooky boi got a new pfp and it's fuckin' lit