Questions tagged [military-defense]
For questions about strategies and structures for defending from a particular type of attack
249 questions
18
votes
7
answers
3k
views
World Building Knowledgebase - How to write good Military World Building
This is a migration or re-post of something I posted in the Meta, which received good reviews:
Here is the Meta Post - go check the Meta out, it is where us cool-kids hang out.
This is going to be a ...
- 35k
1
vote
5
answers
223
views
Would a 'premature detonating' forcefield-type device be effective against shaped charge warheads?
As I've been thinking over how I might go about implementing forcefields into my setting, I considered the idea that 'early' shield designs might operate differently from the usual ability for shields ...
- 651
8
votes
11
answers
5k
views
Someone just nuked your very expensive ship. What is keeping your ship intact?
So, in my setting, the (space) warships can get pretty big and tough. Some of the big ones can take hundreds of hits and still keep going. However, the problem I've run into is Nukes. Even if your ...
- 2,118
1
vote
1
answer
145
views
What would an army with futuristic technology do to create strong defensive points [closed]
This is set about 10,000 years in the future. Armor and shielding technology have gotten so good that projectile and explosion based attacks are virtually useless. The only effective weapons are ...
- 27
0
votes
2
answers
211
views
Is this an acceptable plan of engagement for a primarily defense orientated nation?
First off thank you to everyone who inputed and helped out in my last post to give me more of a clear idea on how to finalize this concept i have. This is a follow up to that as I figured that it's ...
- 323
-1
votes
1
answer
144
views
Why would aliens fill a quarantine space with inert gas?
While experimenting on a Mysterious Alien Artefact at a Super Secret Research Facility, the protagonists accidentally activate what turns out to be a homing beacon, and teleport everything in a sphere ...
- 9,222
4
votes
4
answers
283
views
How to keep mermaids from invading offshore fish farms?
Reports of mermaids attacking offshore fish farms are on the rise, the govt prohibits any form of harm to the mermaids only add to the operators woe. Despite investing millions of dollars on ...
- 48.1k
3
votes
3
answers
936
views
Would an Army using a controlled fire surrounding an opposing army in a heavily forested area be an effective way to destroy said army?
Imagine a scenario where Army A has received intel of the movement of Army B in a heavily forested area. Army A decides to spring a trap where in it sets fire to the forest encircling Army B, ...
1
vote
3
answers
731
views
How could one defend against a concentrated neutron beam in a hard sci-fi setting?
I'm thinking of adding a neutron beam cannon to my hard sci-fi setting (basically works by accelerating a bunch of ions and then shooting them at a beryllium foil target (see here).
However, I don't ...
- 111
10
votes
6
answers
5k
views
General rule to spacing towers on a medieval city wall
I'm workshopping a medieval fantasy setting and one of the primary locations is a large port city, located on a bay out to the ocean.
I'm still early in development, but since this settlement is quite ...
- 119
4
votes
8
answers
3k
views
What would be the primary weaknesses of massed archers?
Setting: In my world, there exists a nation that has a military primarily made up of archers. Each citizen is required to have a level of proficiency with a longbow, both in individual shooting and ...
- 1,270
9
votes
8
answers
2k
views
What is the easiest fuel a blockaded, sanctioned nation can procure/synthesize during a war?
In my world, which is partially based on a WW2-style environment, there are two large countries, namely A and B, that are fighting each other.
A is a Nazi Germany-type country with fine revised ...
- 3,422
5
votes
4
answers
956
views
Using gravimetry to detect cloaked enemies
In the future, a variety of different technologies to evade detection are employed, such as harmful sensory input that renders one incapable of perceiving the object that attempts to evade detection ...
- 1,023
1
vote
6
answers
2k
views
What are the concerns with residents building lean-to's up against city fortifications? [closed]
In historical illustrations of cities with defensive walls, I have noticed that it is very rare for a non-defensive structure to be built directly adjacent to the inside face of the wall. A building ...
- 3,432
15
votes
14
answers
4k
views
How can a pre-industrial civilization effectively defend against aerial attacks from large, fire-breathing creatures without the use of magic?
In my fictional world, there is a pre-industrial civilization that has advanced to a level of technology similar to that of the 15th-century Earth. This civilization is under constant threat from ...
- 1,302
3
votes
3
answers
171
views
Supersoldiers enabling man-powered vehicles
Just as an exercise in worldbuilding, imagine a world where genetic engineering (on subjects that already reached maturity, so no need to modify embryos and raise them to adulthood) creates ...
- 1,211
5
votes
2
answers
916
views
How successful could rapidly spreading new predator be in world with today's type of development
I was rewatching Secret war from Love, Death & Robots and started wondering, would the monsters from that episode pose any actual threat in today's world?
Let's assume the monsters have similar ...
- 61
12
votes
16
answers
5k
views
What defensive invention would have made the biggest difference in the late 1400s?
One world I've been tinkering on for months is an alternate history where Europe did not colonise the rest of the world, different global cultures remained (more) independent, until in the age of the ...
- 4,765
3
votes
9
answers
2k
views
What is the least far-fetched way to defend against nuclear submarines? [closed]
Since the Cold War, nuclear powers have said "don't mess with me" using the Nuclear triad, nuclear warheads on bomber planers, missile silos, and in submarines. Of these, the most important ...
- 4,765
0
votes
1
answer
377
views
Could Tesla coils be used for missile defense?
Some facts about the real world, Terra 2023: tensions between Russia, NATO, China, DPRK, India etc. are high. These powers keep trying to get the edge over each other to establish missile supremacy. ...
- 4,765
2
votes
3
answers
238
views
Would my particle cloud shield be effective in limiting the use of combined arms/maneuver warfare operations? [closed]
Since I have particle shields in my setting for my armored vehicles, my military forces have also decided to try and extend that technology to the larger battlefield. One of the issues plaguing my ...
- 3,153
8
votes
4
answers
2k
views
What properties should my fictional HEAT rounds have to punch through heavy armor and ERA?
I have some forcefield shielding in my setting whereby particles act essentially as solid mass armor for all intents and purposes. Warheads grind themselves down against armor just like modern ...
- 3,153
1
vote
2
answers
150
views
How would pronogrades build embattlements?
While there have been a lot of designs for embattlements across times and cultures, there is onee constant I have noticed: They all share similar proportions. This appears to be related to the erect ...
- 16.6k
2
votes
3
answers
266
views
Would the articulations/joints/bearings of a bulletproof full-body suit be easily pierceable?
Context:
This armour was designed to be a full-body "bulletproof" suit, only capable of stopping bullets from military assault rifles that have the same capabilities of today's ones. Of ...
- 421
7
votes
2
answers
411
views
Ideal materials for the outer layer of a whipple shield
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whipple_shield
What I'm looking for is the best possible materials for the outer layer of a whipple shield. From what I understand, the outer layer turns a hypervelocity ...
- 697
4
votes
1
answer
518
views
Castle defenses against dragons
In my world, there are dragons that the people have to fight against. In many forms of fantasy, despite having the giant creatures, their castles still look like the traditional medieval castle. In ...
- 2,647
3
votes
3
answers
232
views
A potential way to use "space mines" to guard a moon or small planet
Space mines have a glaring problem which is the fact that space is really big, But I have devised a space mine which could be used to defend a moon or small planet.
My space mine would be Casaba-...
- 697
4
votes
2
answers
348
views
What are Effects of shielding on length of modern warfare?
In my setting there are particle shields that can be extended from a central source given enough power and particles to fuel the shield. This is a world where armor has outpaced weapons (nuclear ...
- 3,153
16
votes
8
answers
7k
views
Muggle military tactics against mind-controlling wizards
Spoiler: Wall of text incoming, TL;DR provided.
Once upon a time there were two worlds, separated by some kind of dimensional veil. One world is populated by WW2 level industrial civilization, the ...
- 363
4
votes
5
answers
327
views
How would defense tactics change if 10% of people could fly? [closed]
If one in ten people possess the magical ability to fly, would this change the development of defensive measures and tactics in a society reminiscent of Britain in the medieval era? No other magic ...
- 2,838
4
votes
3
answers
461
views
How would warfare change if everyone were concentrated into giant cities?
Due to environmental concerns (very cold winters) humans are concentrated into a few large cities all around the world; smaller isolated settlements die out quickly. These cities would form the basis ...
- 1,196
25
votes
12
answers
5k
views
How do I defend a walled citadel from a lizard army?
The setting is post apocalyptic wastelands. The use of nuclear weapons has resulted in the creation of mutations, the most deadly of which are the lizards. The antagonist devises a technology that ...
- 1,088
4
votes
6
answers
1k
views
What would be US Military procedure for investigating a portal to another world? [closed]
Here's the scenario I'm working with: a portal opens up within 30 minutes' drive of one of the better equipped military installations in the continental United States. It is stable, shows no signs of ...
- 287
8
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Why does a hypersonic missile need to cruise Earth at low altitude before hitting its mark?
Imagine a certain nation tested a hypersonic nuclear-capable missile and it was designed to make a few trips around the Earth at low altitude before striking the surface. Don't they need to worry ...
- 48.1k
8
votes
13
answers
2k
views
Why can't the military stop my hidden pirate haven from illegal gambling and smuggling?
My pirate safe haven runs gambling rings, horse races, and trades contraband but no one can find it or penetrate it. Why?
I've got a story revolving around pirates and a rescue. The pirates have a ...
- 8,209
7
votes
4
answers
480
views
Feasibility of active defense systems against kinetic weapons
Spurred on from an earlier post over here. The general consensus was that if a depleted uranium round is coming your way, don't be in its way. And if you do get hit, disperse the damage as much as ...
- 3,153
28
votes
22
answers
6k
views
What would cause city walls to return?
Essentially, what would, in a modern (21st century) society, cause city walls to return?
I don't necessarily mean stone walls; steel, titanium, and aluminum walls are perfectly acceptable.
This ...
- 3,709
6
votes
6
answers
584
views
What military exploitation is possible of an isolated, barren island by a pre-industrial world?
I've got a world with a long oceanic navigation tradition, but no reliable steam engines. Imagine it's the 1600s in our timeline. There's two superpowers (think two Chinas), and between them an ocean ...
- 14.4k
15
votes
9
answers
3k
views
What is the safest and most extravagant place for an interstellar emperor to make his palace?
Every evil galactic empire has an emperor’s palace. From the Goa’uld to the Sith Empire to House Harkonnen, every emperor has one extremely lavish but heavily defended structure they call home.
My ...
- 1,347
2
votes
4
answers
351
views
How do you have Mutual Assured Destruction in space politics
Space is VAST, and many country occupied only a part of it. They do trade and make war just like we do on Earth. On Earth, we have our "peacemaker" between powerful nations in the form of ...
- 2,303
2
votes
2
answers
317
views
Could a coalition of powerful corporations protect itself from a hostile neighbour?
This is an alternative Earth-like world, which has just entered the rough equivalent of Cold War. The primary contenders are the large quasi-socialist country with a strong command economy, opposed by ...
- 363
1
vote
1
answer
195
views
Could möbius ring shaped devices deflect or possibly redirect bullets?
As a rule, my sci-fi has no force fields. This is interesting, because every type of shielding that would normally have no mass are restricted to be physical devices. The most notable I'm working on ...
- 10.7k
5
votes
7
answers
2k
views
How to justify small Hominids not being conquered by (anatomically modern) Humans?
So in my setting there's a group of Hominids distantly related to humans.
They live in a forested continent on the coast of which humans have created colonies.
They have patchy light brown skin for ...
- 843
1
vote
2
answers
143
views
Joint Nuclear Weapons Control?
As stated in a previous question, the main political entity of my world, the United Commonwealth, is protected by a combined Army and Navy, made up of personnel from all nations, and funded by all ...
- 651
6
votes
6
answers
932
views
How could an ancient army go about defeating a giant army of monsters? [closed]
I've been trying to study military victories against the odds but a lot of the stuff doesn't apply it seems. The armies in those battles are usually not outnumbered as severely and when they are, they'...
8
votes
4
answers
2k
views
What shape most efficiently disperses an overpressure wave from a nuclear weapon?
One rule of architectural design in one of my settings is the prime number rule: a building that abides by this rule can survive a 2-kiloton nuclear surface burst 300 meters away 5 times in a row ...
- 13.1k
1
vote
2
answers
291
views
How do I design a main battle tank to fight a tactical nuclear war?
Exactly what it says on the tin: how do I design a tank to fight a nuclear war?
Nukes in this setting are limited to one kiloton yield or below by treaty, with the smallest ones having a yield of ten ...
- 13.1k
6
votes
2
answers
682
views
What would armor designed to withstand a grenade blast in an enclosed space look like?
Let's say that someone throws an M67 hand grenade into a completely enclosed room - i.e. the door is the only entrance/exit.
How would someone build a suit of armor to functionally negate the ...
- 13.1k
3
votes
3
answers
880
views
How do you defend against a nuclear torpedo?
For reference: the nuclear torpedo. It is a torpedo with a nuclear munition for a warhead - exactly what it says on the tin.
Range is 100 kilometers at 75 knots; guidance is sonar, with gyroscope ...
- 13.1k
-1
votes
4
answers
219
views
How does a projectile get past a rapid-firing, hyper-accurate point defense system?
Let's say that there's a point-defense system that's very good at hitting targets - as a matter of fact, it hits everything it shoots at. Moreover, it fires incredibly quickly and has, for the scope ...
- 13.1k