Developing ‘death ray’ from space

Press, 13 September 1983, Page 16

Developing ‘death ray’ from space

In this article and the one below, CHRISTOPHER HANSON, of Reuter, looks at two developments under study in the arms race.

United States and Soviet scientists are working separately to develop a futuristic “particle beam” ray gun that some experts say is a threat to all life — and others call a saviour that could end the nuclear balance of terror. Soviet scientists have been working for years on particle beam weapons firing enormously powerful sub-atomic particles that could be deployed in space to shoot down United States satellites or attacking missiles, according to a retired Major-general, George Keegan, a former head of United States Air Force intelligence. American scientists are developing similar weapons that might be used to defend navy ships against attacking cruise missiles, United States officials told Reuters.

After President Reagan announced in his “star wars” speech in March that research could be stepped up on a possible anti-

ballistic missile (A.8.M.) system, United States officials mentioned particle beam technology as one promising avenue.

Some analysts see particle beams as “the ultimate threat,” as Mr David Baker, a former National Aeronautics and Space Administration consultant, wrote in a recent book.

Mr Baker, who has a doctorate in planetary sciences and helped plan N.A.S.A.’s space shuttle missions, wrote in “The Shape of Wars to Come”:

“A (space-based) particle weapon of immense power could, theoretically, propagate a beam of intense energy, forming a radioactive cone down to the surface of the earth ...

Everyoneinthebeam’sconewoulddie, every living thing would perish. “The entire population of a nation could be destroyed in seconds and the limitations of use for such a device would not pre-

vent the indiscriminate annihilation of all people ...” Citing United States scientific sources, Mr Baker called this use of the particle beam “the ultimate application of enhanced radiation devices” that destroy living things while leaving physical structure intact. The neutron warhead is a relatively primitive example of such a device.

Development of such awesome capabilities would probably be several decades away, Mr Baker wrote.

Asked about the feasibility of such a weapon, another scientist who had done work for the Government said it was theoretically possible, but there was no basis for predicting that it could actually be developed.

The scientist said the amount of energy required to produce a ray of the necessary power would, practically speaking, be too difficult to generate. But another expert, who also asked not to be named, said it might be possible to do so by exploding a nuclear device in space and channelling its energy.

General Keegan, saying he did not believe the death beam that Mr Baker warned of was possible, told Reuters he viewed particle beam technology as a potential salvation from the nuclear balance of terror that the super-Powers now maintain.

In addition to shielding a nation from attacking nuclear missiles by destroying them in flight, he said, particle beams could be used to “destroy between 30.000 and 90,000 of the enemy’s high priority targets on the ground within 30 minutes." He said this could be done without recourse to nuclear explosions and could thus allow Moscow and Washington to negotiate reductions in their nuclear arsenals. The President said in his “star wars” speech that using advanced technology to deflect nuclear attack was more “in keeping with the human spirit” than the threat of retaliation.

Several United States officials have said that lasers — intense beams of light — would be easier to develop as space weapons than particle beams and were likely to be deployed sooner if research

continued to make progress.

But scientists such as Dr Henry Kendall, a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and chairman of the Union of Concerned Scientists, say lasers, particle beams and anti-satellite weapons in general would be dangerous. Dr Kendall told Reuters such weapons have offensive as well as defensive applications and would make nuclear war more likely as each super-Power sought to outdo the other with more advanced technology.

The Soviet leader, Mr Andropov, said last month the Soviet Union would refrain from deploying antisatellite weapons unless’ another nation deployed them. Dr Kendall said it was in the United States interest to consider Mr Andropov’s proposal seriously because the United States is more reliant than the Soviet Union on satellites for early warning and communications.

Officials say the Pentagon plans to test its first anti-satellite weapon, which is more advanced than the Soviet version, very soon.