Project Falcon?
Project Thor?
Sounds like Jerry Pournelle's Project Thor flies again!
Jerry Pournelle would be proud. In fact, he's probably gloating all over the place.
Pournelle and others on a team at Boeing in the 60s proposed kinetic energy weapons in orbit. Basically a bundle of "crowbars," dense metal rods
with some ablative re-entry on the tip and just enough brains and steering ability to recognize and drop on the thing that was being targeted. He used
them, or his Alien attackers did (very effectively), against Kansas National Guard tanks in Footall.
Thor would involve a projectile of around 27kg, traveling at orbital velocity, around 8,000 meters per second. The kinetic energy would therefore
equal 864 mega joules, or over 200 kg or TNT.
You could loft a whole lot of these with any of the proposed systems on a moments notice. Put them in orbit with some maneuvering ability before
release and every 90 minutes or so you'd have the option of dropping them over just about anybody you wanted to. How about a bundle of 1,000 of these
things dropping on a massed Iranian army? An Al Qaeda traning compound? The DN... no, that would be wrong...
On a humorous note:
"Give us a superior curve, Mr Crusher."

regards
seekerof
[Edited on 16-9-2003 by Seekerof]