Ever since the publication of H G Wells's War of the Worlds military strategists have dreamt of using beams as weapons. Weapons using optical radiation have the advantages of having unlimited, weightless ammunition; a huge range; almost instantaneous delivery of energy; silence; and under certain circumstances, self targeting. With the advent of the laser in 1960, the possibility of beam weapons became a reality. Present laser systems can deliver terawatts of power to remote targets at the speed of light Although military designers soon determined that laser systems that would destroy armoured targets or aircraft required huge amounts of power and resulted in large, unwieldy systems, they rapidly appreciated that soldiers' eyes were a relatively easy target.
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机译：自从H G Wells出版的《世界大战》以来，军事战略家就梦想着将光束用作武器。使用光辐射的武器具有弹药无限，重量轻的优点；大范围几乎瞬时的能量传递；安静;并在某些情况下进行自我定位。随着1960年激光器的问世，光束武器的可能性成为现实。当前的激光系统可以以光速向远程目标提供太瓦的功率。尽管军事设计人员很快确定可以摧毁装甲目标或飞机的激光系统需要大量功率，并导致大型笨重的系统，但他们迅速意识到士兵们的能力。眼睛是一个相对容易的目标。
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