Can the Laser Cannon be tuned to drill holes into the earth as an alternative to drill bits and shafts? My thought is YES, it could. It would drill straight assuming no reflective surfaces en route and drill fast so that going down several miles would be rapid, the molten soil and rock seeping off to the sides of the hole into more porous material perhaps creating a solid shaft so piping isn't needed. Pipe material and coating selections are difficult when dealing with soils' acids, caustics and very high temperatures and temperature changes internally and externally.

To what purpose? To tap geothermal energy from magma deep within the earth and bring it to the surface in the form of steam from circulated water and then use it to drive generators or heat buildings as happens now in Iceland.

Using a closed steam loop reduces Carbon Dioxide emissions to zero, something that no fossil fuels can claim. Using the steam in an open loop system reduces Carbon Dioxide emissions to 10% of what fossil fuels create.

Sorry, valprest, but that isn't really all that likely to work

As you vaporize the "dirt" (rock, whatever) it will create a gaseous form of the former dirt which will obscure the target from further heating. You might be able to do something by pulsing it, but the amount of energy needed to vaporize that much earth would be anything but trivial. You might be able to do something like this (maaaaybe) with a satellite and solar cells to drive it, but such a thing would be just as usable as a weapon and weaponizing space, while I'm sure it eventually will happen, isn't on anyone's "Hy, Great Idea!" list right now.

The other obvious issue is how, exactly, did you plan to maintain a constant position over the hole looking straight down? Might be doable with some sort of balloon/dirigible object, but even there you'd still need to secure it using lines over a fairly fixed location, something which has been one of the chief banes of lighter-than-air travel for a century now -- mooring and docking issues. A plane would be impractical for this, as it couldn't perform the sort of tight circle needed to keep the weapon even vaguely close to the vertical line required.

The application specified works well because you presumably don't need a sustained beam on-target, and, if you did, you can fly for more than a minute in the direction of the target object

Thanks OBloody Hell but I dismounted the drill and put it on an overhead crane so it wasn't flying. However I think the presence of water would be more of a problem than melting or spraying soil and rock. Thanks for your thoughts.

Val Prest

Oooooh, cool...If this thing can burn a hole thru a tank, think what it could do to an ammunition bunker...I was going with the idea of using microwave energy to set off the ammo, but this thing would work as well...Kinda hard to fight without ammo, I would think, plus it would be rather demoralizing to know that your own ammo is going to take you out of the action...Just a thought...

"If a bird flew into the firing laser’s line of sight— well, no more bird. Fortunately, the weapon will fire for only a few seconds at a time, minimizing the risk."

I'm glad we've minimized risk to small birds while frying human beings. I'll reset easier now!

tone

I'll admit the technology is cool and brings back memories of teenage sci-fi fantasies but there needs to be some perspective here. Sure, the author is clearly being politically correct to avoid the part about melting/boiling people in the process (never mind the birds). Everyone seems to think the soldiers are "just following orders" - just like our boys are and we are supposed to "support our troops" just as our opponents are supposed to support theirs. Everyone seems, conveniently, to forget the hypocrisies of their tepid mottos and slogans or did we all forget the typical Nazi soldier was also "following orders"? What has happened to personal accountability and doing the right thing at the right and wrong time? How about if all this energy and thought processes went into actually trying to find resolutions and peaceful solutions instead of Darth Vadering everyone to death? Think people. Think.

If I were a tank commander, I'd be checking my kit right now to make sure I had packed my shaving mirror!

5 miles away and 10000 feet high? You can take down that plane with a slingshot. To burn holes in a tank on the firing range no problem, to touch a "live" tank with all defence systems from 5 miles away sounds like a challenge.

Why not just mount a bunch of mirrors (not glass ones) on top of the tank?

Doesn't this sound like the plot of "Real Genius"?