DARPA scientists seeking lightning on tap

You can always rely on DARPA, the Pentagon’s research outfit, to push the envelope. The latest: DARPA wants U.S. troops to have access to what, Lewis Page writes, can only be described as lightning on tap.

According to a DARPA announcement issued last week (see Nimbus):

Experimental Set-up for Triggering Lightning: Bidders should fully describe how they would attempt to trigger lightning and list all potential pieces of equipment necessary to trigger lightning, as well as the equipment necessary to measure and characterize the processes governing lightning initiation, propagation, and attachment.

The project to provide lightning on tap is known as “Nimbus.” According to DARPA, Nimbus lightning-triggering equipment is intended for protecting property and other assets from lightning damage, or “advances in… science relating to lightning.”