Comment by mrbluecoat

Comment by mrbluecoat a day ago

6 replies

> flying drones into optimal positions beneath thunderclouds to actively trigger lightning strikes, and then guiding the discharge safely away from vulnerable areas

From a military standpoint, I wonder what it would take to discharge into a vulnerable area...

foxglacier a day ago

You could put the wire in the vulnerable area - perhaps using the same drone? But I don't think it would be any use. A lightning strike releases about 1 GJ of energy, mostly into the sky. So the effect at the target would probably be no more than a few kg of explosives which you could have delivered using the wire anyway.

  • pixl97 a day ago

    Plausible deniability?

    People tend to get mad when you bomb them, but if no one noticed the drone in the storm it's just a natural strike...

  • kjkjadksj a day ago

    Fire it at a transformer, take out power in an entire region and blame God. A perfect tool for the CIA.

    • nilamo 15 hours ago

      A sniper rifle does the same, with a single shot, more reliably and without witnesses.

      • ceejayoz 15 hours ago

        But it leaves pretty clear evidence of human action, which CIA-style actors may not want.

stronglikedan a day ago

> I wonder what it would take to discharge into a vulnerable area

HAARP /s