While most 20th-century battles were fought on the battlefields, a new kind of warfare is expected to take over the world in a few decades.
After years of belligerence and endless one-upping, the United States is finally fighting for control of the Taiwan Strait. And in a surprising maneuver, the US Space Force has deployed a scheme almost 100 years in the making.
Developed as part of Project Thor during the Cold War, the mystery weapon involves 9-ton tungsten rods that are dropped from orbit. As the telephone-pole-sized rods fall from the sky, the objects are supposed to reach ten times the speed of sound, hitting the Earth with as much power as a nuclear weapon.
While challenging the 1967 Space Treaty without technically breaking the agreement, the United States might just be on the verge of weaponizing outer space with its kinetic “Rods from God”…
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Ok I can destroy this whole farce with a couple of questions….. Number one: how did they get the ten tons of tungsten up there? We still don't have a powerful enough rocket. Number two if it's a free fall weapon what keeps it in orbit before it drops? Number three: an object has to travel at a speed of around 18,000 miles an hour to stay in orbit, we don't have anything that goes that fast. Don't say our modern rockets go that fast because if they did they would be moving so fast you wouldn't be able to see them.
RODS FROM GOD. Tungsten rods were sent from space and helped bring down the twin towers
They weren't steel they were tungsten and were nicknamed "The rods from God"
If the Chinese sent the whole navy on Taiwan and the yanks just nuked it from orbit that would be hilarious.
I just renamed a part of me "lazy dog bomb" when I heard it penetrates 9 inches of concrete.
Oh what? Rod from God? I just changed it🤦
9 tons at Mach 10 is nowhere near nuclear weapon territory.
Just build a rail gun in space. Charge it using the sun
Fake news.
People who have played COD ghosts: "hey I've seen this before!"
How did they get such heavy objects up. Too heavy pay load, maybe dropped by ballons
If someone wants to know how it works, try to watch *Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans*, they used the idea of Tungsten rod
Totally pie in the sky thought đź’.
Wouldn't it 'interesting' if they managed to launch/construct etc a railgun that could have an autoloader for very large projectiles (but much smaller than 9 tonnes).
I know & understand that the tech/battery/power requirements are not feasible at this time – but…..
As a PS: this could be rotated to point away from the earth 🌍 & be ready for asteroids/comet's etc (yes I know that could just make hundreds more, but smaller 🤷🏼‍♂️).
Just wondering……
I've got your rod from God right here.
The statement fins to keep it straight will get the project cancelled because it's now homophobic and transphobic and Rods from God will also cause a problem because someone will want to change the nickname because the name offends them because they don't believe in God.
Pacific Rim Mechs and walls missed out on a less cool but more effective solution to the kaiju invaders
If they have ther energy of a nuclear bomb, they have to be given that energy by the launch vehicle. So, if you send ten up, you need a rocket much more powerful than your ten nuclear bombs.
What is the cost to move 1 rod into space to maybe drop down in one day. Is not it much cheaper to build and develop new tech rockets? Seems not efficient stuff, but the idea is quite old.
Rods from God.
Rods from Antichrist.
…the Syria bombing should be looked at again…
Why do you compare it to a nuke? That 10 ton tungsten rod traveling at 3300 m/s will release 45 billion Jules of kinetic energy. The Fat man was 21 kilotons, Which is 1800 times more than that stupid rod.
Jerry Pournelle called his weapons "crowbars" in the novel.
Big Heavies could take them up
Go NATO
Believe me we have more stuff than you could ever imagine
Let's just use telephone poles for communication instead of war
Big Heavies man I am telling you
If China is getting ready to deploy this we better have a way to make it totally malfunction and hit where they were ordered to hit
No one can sneak these things into space. And they can't be hid in orbit. So what are the chances that they survive to launch in WWIII?