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Hopefully this thread/question does not come off as nuts but is it possible to have ground based lasers in the U.S. to serve as precision global strike weapons? I'm sure something like this would need to be very large and complicated. Maybe those here with knowledge will set me straight or provide insight.
Space based you could do it but ground based....tough to bend light without an above ground reflector:D
I figured deflectors would be needed, but thought I would throw it out there. Conventional PGS seems to be one of the topics discussed on the web. The use of conventional ballistic missiles could be mistaken for a nuclear launch by Russia or the Chinese. There are other ideas out there such as hyper velocity missiles, but I have not seen lasers discussed as a PGS option. To have the power to reach the other side of the world the laser would require a great deal of power so the system would most likely be gigantic and being space based not feasible. A kind of Death Star but ground based but not destroying planets.
Forget it. The amount of atmosphere you have to burn through is not enough to even suntan the target with current chemical laser power output. Plus, where are you going to mount the deflectors?