Cool idea. Atmospheric attenuation (regardless even if you lase at "transmissible" freqs), would be a major issue. Additionally, beam steering and focusing from 1000km+, and accounting (essentially a variable continuously changing integration) for a high variability in index of refraction would make it possible without a closed-loop feedback of on target strike.
Rough ballparks, I mean, the beam power density required would likely far exceed the thermal dissipation rate of any heat pipe, etc, tech I am officially aware of.
Space warfare is super fun tho. However, this is a very outdated idea. If anyone like noodling on this stuff, they should DM me. There are far better ideas... unofficially.
airstrike|11 months ago
nopelynopington|11 months ago
sandworm101|11 months ago
You start with the adaptive optics used in many telescopes. For whatever angular resolution an earth-based telescope can accomplish, that same tech can probably also focus a laser beam to a similar degree.
(Adaptive optics largely started from laser weapon programs, only later being used for astronomy.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_YAL-1