To defeat a potential enemy, you need a fundamentally new weapon based on some new physical principles. Such slogans have been heard for a long time, but it has not yet come to their implementation in practice. Among other things, some gravitational weapons are regularly offered in this area. Another mention of such a miracle weapon appeared just a few days ago.
Mysterious Graser
On June 4, the Zvezda weekly spoke about the latest development by Russian scientists that could change the way war is waged. Such a system is designated as a gravitational wave generator; the name "grazer" is also used. It is curious that the graser and its unique capabilities were present in the title, but only a couple of paragraphs were devoted to such a weapon, while the rest of the publication talked about other products.
It is argued that the grazer, using the generated gravitational waves, is capable of destroying various objects. At the same time, there are no secondary effects of the type of contamination of the area. How exactly such a system should work is not specified. However, it is clear that so far the "gravitational wave generator" exists only in theory.
Graser is mentioned in the context of V. Leonov's inventions. In recent decades, this inventor and his firm have proposed a "superunification theory" and a "quantum engine" using its principles. The engine was even built and tested. However, the theory and inventions based on it contradict the well-known picture of the world, and only dubious calculations and arguments like "scientists have not yet refuted" are given in its favor.
Thus, there is every reason to believe that the graser described in a recent article is another project of a dubious nature that does not have any theoretical justification. The practical prospects for such an "invention" are obvious.
Weapons of the past
However, the topic of gravitational weapons as one of the versions of systems "based on new principles" is of great interest. There is information about several attempts to create such weapons, but none of them led to the desired result. Moreover, one of these stories, most likely, is a banal hoax.
In various literature on the secrets and secrets of Hitlerite Germany, the project of a certain scientist, known under the name or pseudonym Blau, is repeatedly mentioned. In a secret laboratory (according to some reports, at one of the concentration camps), he worked on the creation of a weapon that hits targets using gravitational beams / waves. This product was supposed to affect the gravitational field of the Earth or create an anti-gravitational field. This effect could be used in air defense: under the influence of gravitational beams, enemy aircraft had to fall to the ground.
As often happens in stories about the secrets of the Third Reich, no documentary evidence of the existence of Blau and his project has been found. At the same time, Hitler's gravitational weapon appears exclusively in publications of a dubious nature.
An interesting story in the field of gravitational systems took place at the end of the 2000s. RUMO USA became interested in this topic and even issued an order for theoretical and practical work. The research was commissioned by a private company, GravWave. Based on the results of the work, it was required to present a new principle of accelerating physical objects to high speeds - first of all, the launch of spacecraft was mentioned, but the military application of such methods could not be ruled out.
The new technology was supposed to be based on the so-called. the Herzenstein effect. It provides for the appearance of gravitational waves when electromagnetic waves pass through a static magnetic field. It should be recalled that at that time the existence of gravitational waves had not yet been confirmed experimentally. Nevertheless, GravWave got to work.
Soon, the JASON Defense Advisory Group learned about the order of the RUMO. She prepared a report recommending that ongoing work be stopped in order to avoid wasting. Calculations have shown that a gravitational launcher based on the Herzenstein effect is extremely ineffective. Even with the use of all the power plants of the planet, such a system could impart energy of the order of 0.1 microjoule to the accelerated body. To provide acceleration at the level of 10 m / s2, astronomical energy costs were required.
Harsh criticism from the scientific community led to the halt of useless "research". In the future, the Pentagon considered the possibility of studying the notorious new physical principles, but real work in this direction was no longer carried out. Gravitational, geophysical, etc. the US military preferred more real lasers and rail guns to weapons.
In our country, projects have also been proposed for weapons and other systems using gravitational waves or other not yet mastered phenomena. However, such proposals generally remain without the support of serious organizations. This is probably due to a chronic lack of funding, due to which one has to pay attention only to real projects, but not to dubious undertakings.
Theory and practice
The concept of a gravity-based radiating system, theoretically suitable for military use, was proposed back in the sixties of the last century. At the level of theory, various designs of such a device have been proposed and studied. In particular, the possibility of creating a special active medium emitting the necessary graviton particles was considered. We also worked out the possibility of using the interaction of different radiation and fields.
However, for half a century of existence, the concept has not left the stage of theoretical calculations. A number of factors hinder its implementation. First of all, this is an extremely low value of the gravitational constant. It is because of this that at the moment it is impossible to form a "gravitational laser beam", as well as to measure its parameters.
There are similar problems with the concept of gravitational-wave communication. A few decades ago, an alternative to radio communication using gravitational waves was proposed. However, the implementation of such a proposal is also associated with certain problems. Such waves are difficult to generate, receive and process.
Thus, the idea of using gravitational forces in one form or another in the military sphere does not yet have a chance for practical implementation. Scientists around the world are still only studying the nature of gravity. There have been serious successes, but for the time being, one can only dream of real weapons or means of communication based on similar principles.
Modest but real
It is curious that the term "gravitational" is already used in relation to real ammunition for various purposes. This weapon uses gravity, however, the destruction of targets is carried out by more familiar methods. So, in English-language terminology, free-falling aerial bombs are often called gravitational bombs. Indeed, the Earth's gravity plays a critical role in moving the bomb from the carrier aircraft to the target.
Domestic weapons manufacturers call a special kind of anti-submarine ammunition gravitational. A gravitational projectile / bomb is a product with homing means and without its own power plant. A gravitational anti-submarine bomb must search for a target from the surface. When a submarine is detected, the product "dives", picks up speed due to gravity and maneuvers with the help of the rudders.
The sensation is postponed
Science steps forward and clarifies the existing picture of the world, with the help of research, theoretical calculations and hypotheses are confirmed. All this lays the foundation for the further development of science and technology, including military. However, in some areas, such foundation laying is very difficult. Building real prototypes on this basis will also not be easy and fast.
It is easy to see that almost all weapon concepts "based on new physical principles" face similar problems. It has already been established that a gravitational weapon is possible only in theory, and its manufacture requires continuation of research work with an unclear result. For the further development of science and technology, it is necessary to continue fundamental research and explore other new areas, as well as look for ways to apply the knowledge gained. At the same time, government agencies need to exercise some caution so as not to spend funds on another "theory of everything" or a fictitious miracle weapon.
