RODS FROM GOD: The terrifying future space weapons – meteorites, molten metal cannons and weaponised asteroids
WEAPONISED asteroids, “rods from god” raining down on Earth and cannon firing molten metal and — it sounds like something from a sci-fi movie.
But these bizarre weapons may soon become a reality as space becomes the final frontier for superpower warfare.
The reality of a space war moved closer today as Putin revealed a new alliance with China to create space weapons that could unleash havoc in the West if its satellites were targeted.
Speaking at his annual news conference, the Russian strongman leader said the partnership was “strategic” amid growing tensions with NATO.
It is feared an orbital onslaught could shut down hospitals, crash the economy, knock out communications, and cause mass blackouts.
Star warrior
Russia’s new weapon dubbed “Star Warrior” has the West worried as it can blast satellites out of orbit at heights of up to 500 miles above Earth.
Putin’s state owned TV issued a chilling threat that Russia may deploy the system to destroy some 32 Western satellites to render Nato missiles useless.
It comes after Putin used the weapon to destroy a redundant Soviet-era Tselina-D military reconnaissance satellite — blasting it into an orbital debris storm.
It uses the ominous-looking and pyramid-esque Don-2N radar to detect incoming threats and blast them out the sky — which can also detect threats in space.
The centrepiece of the radar is a supercomputer called Elbrus-2.
The Rods from God
This strange but utterly terrifying weapon has been dubbed “rods from God” and is based on the concept of creating man-made meteorites that can be guided towards the enemy.
But instead of using rocks rods the size of telephone poles are deployed.
These would be made out of tungsten — a rare metal that can stand the intense heat generated by entering Earth’s atmosphere.
One satellite fires the rods towards the Earth’s atmosphere while the other steers them to a target on the ground.
Reaching speeds of 7000mph they hit the ground with the force of a small nuclear weapon — but crucially creating no radiation fall out.
As bizarre as it sounds, a US Congressional report reveals the military has been pushing ahead with the kinetic space weapons.
Weapons expert Amy F. Woolf said: “One warhead would be designed to destroy or disable area targets like airfields or buildings, using a reentry vehicle loaded with tungsten rods — known as flechettes — that would rain down on the target and destroy everything within an area of up to 3,000 square feet.
“The other might be able to destroy hardened targets, like underground bunkers or reinforced structures, if it were accurate enough to strike very close to the target.”
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Mad scientists can’t wait to wipe us out. Fool politicians and generals, but I repeat myself only too willing to help. The fall of Atlantis doesn’t seem so outlandish now. .
3000 square feet?? The size of a nice three bedroom two bath house?
Rods from God is an old late 1960’s idea that was never followed through due to the cost of lifting things into orbit.
It would be wise never to take any article seriously when it’s republished from The Sun, a tabloid in the UK so breathless and clickbait-y that even Wikipedia(!) labels it an “unreliable source.”
Good point . They are doing enough damage with itty-bitty needles.