Military's new ray gun fires harmless beam that makes targets feel as if they are on fire

ap on San Diego Union - Tribune ^ | 1/24/07 | Elliott Minor

[amchugh]

Yeah, the lack of tank deployment to Somalia is a great point. We probably could have mitigated the blackhawk down fiasco, but we have to recognize that our soldiers are increasingly being asked to play a policing role and need appropriate tools. The Pentagon has resisted getting dragged into a counter-insurgent role I think precisely because it doesn't mesh well with the traditional training and outfitting of soldiers. We probably need a new or retooled branch of the military to take on such roles.

As a side note, deploying the guard to the LA riots with no ammunition for their weapons was a bluff which worked (not that I'd have done it).

[timer]

This millimeter beam weapon sounds like a typical military-industrial response, too expensive and delicate, but lots of CASH for them that make it.

A better idea, at least for crowd control in a riot : put some slickery stuff like aqua gel in the water cannon spray. You take FRICTION, as in foot TRACTION, for granted; ever slipped and fell on ICE? So with the street surface suddenly like ice/grease, a mob of rioters becomes a writhing mass of WORMS, squirming and cursing, but going nowhere...a better, non-lethal solution than zapper-beams.

[haywoodwebb]

Don't be fooled. This type of technology has nothing to do with war or combating enemies.

These are primarily domestic weapons. They will be used on US citizens.

[Physicist]

I wish I could aim one of these at the cloud of filthy starlings that have been plaguing my neighborhood.

[TalonDJ]

Harder to hit a crowd with at 500 yard though. Plus you would not have an infinite supply of 'ammo' like this electronic device does.

[aimhigh]

That was the first question that popped into my mind.

Another weapon for a politically correct war. Once this goes live, machine guns will be banned.

[chuckles]

....."They will be used on US citizens"......

You are probably right, but right now, they aren't even allowed to listen in on phone calls. It might come off a little harsh to ZAP Americans that we can't even wiretap.

It would only be accepted to ZAP those pesky Christians that have guns and believe Christ is returning per the Janet Reno memo. The Waco Zapper got a little out of hand.

[School of Rational Thought]

Interesting advancement:


This will allow the enemy to fight another day.

And franklly, I have concern it will be used against America's own citizens.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

Military officials say it could save the lives of innocent civilians and service members in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

More likely they'll turn it on American civilians for crowd control or give it to the police. Yes, I can definitely see that happening. Police are already tasering people. Looks like this ray gun will be their next new weapon of choice.

[timer]

We're talking about different situations. This E beam is a sort of sniper rifle, it hits hostiles one at a time. I'm referring to a hostile CROWD of hundreds, even thousands, of rioters that need non-lethal treatment.

Hit them with super slickery water, either from a water cannon vehicle or helicopter drop, and suddenly ground friction is GONE = writhing, squirming mass of people not going anywhere until it evaporates off. By then their testosterone levels have returned to much lower values.

Being a relatively large dish on a humvee makes it a juicy target for RPGs, enemy sniper shots...how much does this unit cost to manufacture and deploy vs the ubiquitous RPG in Iraq? Back to the drawing board guys....

[WLR]

Actually there was an internicine battle over resources at the end of the Cold War the civillian side called it the "Peace Dividend" The remaining money was snatched up by Ft Bennnings Light Fighter, mental Judo devotees. The cost of Mechanized forces is tremendous. It is much more expensive to train a Tanker or Mech Infantrymen than any Special Feces Soldier when you include his equipment and platform costs. By adopting the light fighter modality the US Military specifically the Army was able to spend money on new "High Tech" equipment and not on maintaing legacy systems like the M48-M60 Series Medium Tanks M113 Gavin Armored Personel Carrier, The M1 Heavy Tank, Bradley etc. The systems are expensive and require continuoous trainiing to operates successfully. The Light Fighters delusion is that they can fight the earth and the enemy with what is on their backs. The reality is the use of Light Fighters where they are expected is a guarantee of causalties as no man regardless of how he is trained can resist High Explosives. No man regardless of his training can run 45 MPH nor carry 10 tons of munitions. You see light fighter is a sound concept for conducting a delay or a raid or even an ongoing hearts and minds campaign in a relatively low intensity environment. But they are completlely vulnerable to what we face in Iraq especially which is now a Proxy war between the US And Iran.
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BTW it is a complete mistake to think of "Hearts and Minds" as a proven doctrine. It remains and unproven theory and one with considerable evidence of it's failure.


As a side note, deploying the guard to the LA riots with no ammunition for their weapons was a bluff which worked (not that I'd have done it)

It was no bluff it was an act of personal cowardice on the part of Commanders who betrayed the trust of their troops.

W



W

[TalonDJ]

This E beam is a sort of sniper rifle, it hits hostiles one at a time

Nah, it can be set to wide areas. The beam will get blocked some by people in the front of the crowd but enough will get by them to effect at least the first few banks of people when those panic and move it will hit more. And since they seem to be talking about using it against armed mobs you only really need to disarm and disrupt the first few ranks of people to kill the mobs momentum.

The slick water idea might work ok on a concrete street but how would it work on a rocky dusty road in a third world town? Might as well as just hit them with the vomit gas. Clean up will be easier.

[timer]

It would be interesting to see which method worked better in ACTUAL field conditions. How much does this E beam weapon cost vs a terrorist w/an RPG or mortar? I mean, really, do we think they won't be shooting BACK at us? As to the slickery water hose on sandy roads/areas, easily checked out w/o millions in tests...inexpensive low tech often works just as well as expen$ive high tech to do the job of non-lethal calming of a mob.

[Sir Gawain]