|
IMO, weapons such as foam to the face or microwave beams, will not be widely employed in space combat. People in space are already protecting themselves from one of the most hostile environments (vacuum, high-energy radiation, extreme heat & cold). Just as today's ships have life jackets, tomorrow's space dwellers will probably have various forms of personal environmental protection. So acoustic, electromagnetic, and similar weapons may be nullified.
Most weapons in widespread use will have effective counters (e.g. reflective coatings against laser frequencies). I suppose it is possible for small elite forces to use odd weapons that are not commonly known, and therefore not so easily countered. I do like the idea of super-sticky balls or sprays to immobilize (released with a solvent chemical spray or command to nannites). Seems like a probable extension of today's technology.
One of the earlier weapon tropes, for good reason, was the rocket-assisted bullet or dart. That has the advantages of not having to deal with much recoil when firing and 'smart' targeting (in-flight correction) yet delivering good old-fashioned kinetic energy. Drawbacks include expensive and, perhaps, heavy/large ammunition. Of course you won't need to carry nearly as much ammunition if you have smart targeting.
It certainly makes a difference whether or not attackers care if they blow holes in the hull of a ship they are boarding. Defenders usually care more. You won't see a lot of flamethrowers or tracer/armor piercing rounds used for onboard ship defense today. Shotguns with buckshot (not slugs) are a favorite today because of high antipersonnel effectiveness, low cost, and yet still low hull penetration. Anti-materiel weapons (e.g. 50 cal sniper rifle) only make sense to use on approaching ships, not inside your own ship.
|