Free Republic

May 27, 2009 The XM25 Individual Air Burst Weapon is looking likely to be the shoulder-fired weapon of choice for the US military to kill or neutralize hidden targets. Due for field test this summer, the lightweight XM-25 "smart weapon" uses High Explosive Air-Burst (HEAB) munitions that can be programmed to detonate at a precise point in the air without the need to impact, spelling trouble for elusive targets, be they behind a wall, inside a building or in a foxhole. The XM25 Developed jointly by the German arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch and the US company Alliant Techsystems (ATK...

SAN LORENZO DE EL ESCORIAL, Spain (AFP) - "Computer-savvy" terrorists are using the Internet as a new weapon but national authorities must be aware of individual rights when combating the threat, speakers at an international conference said Thursday. "Information technology and particularly the Internet has become a key tool of terrorist groups as well as a potential target," said Mike Smith, the head of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee. "Terrorists use it to spread their ideology, to recruit, train and motivate their followers, to plan their attacks and communicate with each other across borders." However, he said fighting the threat...

RAPID CITY, S.D. - Police said a 71-year-old man, armed only with an ice scraper, frustrated a 20-year-old would-be robber who approached him with a knife. Police said the man was scraping ice off his car Friday when the 20-year-old pulled out a knife and demanded money. Police Sgt. Pete Ragnone said the man used his ice scraper to fend off the attacker , who then ran to his girlfriend's home nearby.

(Video on site)http://www.notoriouslyconservative.com/2009/02/sa-15-gauntlet-tor-9k330-missile-system.html The 9K331 Tor [SA-15 GAUNTLET land-based, SA-N-9 naval version] low-to-medium altitude SAM system is capable of engaging not only aircraft and helicopters but also RPVs, precision-guided weapons and various types of guided missiles. The HQ-17 is a copy of Tor-M1, that China will use it to replace the aging HQ-61 SAMs, will enter service around the year 2005. Although it is an autonomous system it can be interfaced into an integrated air defense network. SA-15b is designed to be a completely autonomous air defense system (at division level), capable of surveillance, command and control, missile launch and...

See democracy in action! Here is a Live video feed of the Orange County Board Of Supervisors starting at 9:30 AM PST. What is this meeting all about and why is it so important? Due to the enormous backlash generated by Sheriff Sandra Hutchens illegal actions among law abiding Orange County citizens CCW permit holders and gun rights activists, hundreds and hundreds of people are expected to attend the upcoming meeting taking place today February 10th (live video feed starting at 9:30 AM PST). The Sheriff reaction to this simple manifestation of American democracy? Really ugly: we are talking about...

(video on site) Aim one of these babies at Osama Bin Laden's cave, or goat farm, and blamo!!! Nothing but the stench of burnt beard and turban. The weapon, which was successfully tested in October at the King George County base, fires nonexplosive projectiles at incredible speeds, using electricity rather than gun powder. The technology could increase the striking range of U.S. Navy ships more than tenfold by the year 2020. "It's pretty amazing capability, and it went off without a hitch," said Capt. Joseph McGettigan, commander of NSWC Dahlgren Division. "The biggest thing is it's real--not just something on...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Jan. 26, 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has successfully demonstrated that a laser system mounted on an Avenger combat vehicle can shoot down a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) like those that increasingly threaten U.S. troops deployed in war zones. During tests last month at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., Laser Avenger achieved its principal test objectives by using its advanced targeting system to acquire and track three small UAVs flying against a complex background of mountains and desert. The laser system also shot down one of the UAVs from an operationally relevant range. These tests...

CONTIGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER — The 2nd Battalion, 11th Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement, partnered with Soldiers of the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, to assist the Iraqi Security Forces in the disruption of smuggling networks in November. The American troops used air assets on a mission that began at the al Hawayza Border Fort. The operation was led on the ground by DBE personnel. “The [Head Hunter Squadron’s] non-commissioned officers have been working to mold the 2-11 DBE men,” said Sgt. 1st Class Loshun Wilson from Killeen, Texas. The American Soldiers, led...

The US military has carried out the first test-firing of a laser weapon system housed aboard a 747 plane. The Airborne Laser (ABL) was conceived to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles in the early stages of their flight. An airborne intercept of an in-flight ballistic missile is planned for 2009. Scientists are reported to be working out other uses for the flying weapon - which could help secure continued funding. These extra missions include shooting down surface-to-air missiles, cruise missiles and even enemy aircraft. A laser beam travelled the length of the aircraft at 670 million miles per hour. It...

PARRISH — A 37-year-old man who lives with his parents was arrested on a felony assault charge after he used a Christmas tree as a weapon in an attempted attack on his father, according to a sheriff’s report. Manatee deputies arrested Thomas Edward Lackie of the 3300 block of 92nd Avenue East in Parrish last week after hearing a description of the altercation from his parents. According to an arrest report, Lackie lost his temper around 9 p.m. Wednesday and threw a 3-foot-tall Christmas tree at his father. The tree missed, but Lackie then tried to use the steel base...

Sticking point: Philip Clarkson Webb has had to use his spare stick after his other one was confiscated by police They must have known he was a troublemaker the moment they saw him. With his white hair, wax jacket and glasses, 78-year-old Philip Clarkson Webb clearly ticked all the boxes any eagle-eyed policemen would mark as 'danger'. And as he shuffled along the pavement towards them there was one thing above all they deemed to pose a threat - his walking stick. The officers surrounded the retired classics teacher and informed him the 3ft wooden cane was an 'offensive weapon'...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The dramatic drop in violence in Iraq is due in large part to a secret program the U.S. military has used to kill terrorists, according to a new book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Woodward. Bob Woodward on Larry King Live Bob Woodward's book, "The War Within: Secret White House History 2006-2008," came out Monday. The program -- which Woodward compares to the World War II era Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb -- must remain secret for now or it would "get people killed," Woodward said Monday on CNN's Larry King Live. "It is a...

Unintentional adventures in airport security Carry On By Chris Haire I'm a risk-taking man. I like to take chances. I like to put all of my chips on the No. 13, spin the roulette wheel, and pray that my hopes and dreams aren't splattered all over the casino walls like Christopher Walken's brains in The Deer Hunter. Charlie likes to gamble. Which is why I was very much aware of what I was doing when I handed over my driver's license to a security official at the Philadelphia International Airport. I knew that the license was split in half —...

Project Advances Development on Innovative Weapon System Metal Storm (ASX: MST) (NASDAQ: MTSX) is pleased to announce that Metal Storm Incorporated (MSI) has been awarded a major contract worth almost $US1 million to progress the development of one of its weapon systems for the U.S. military. MSI has been contracted by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) for the further development of a 12-gauge, Multi-shot Grenade Launcher. The Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) contract is valued at $US936,695. Work commences immediately with delivery scheduled in under 12 months. The project will extend the work performed previously under a contract with...

More and more Oklahomans are carrying concealed weapons these days. In fact, there are so many new requests the state Bureau of Investigation can barely keep up. Last year, there was a 45-percent increase in new licenses -- the largest jump since the concealed carry law went into effect. It is legal in the State of Oklahoma to carry a handgun in your purse on your belt if you have a license. It's been that way for more than a decade. Some laws have made it easier. The governor signed legislation expanding gun rights in 2006. Some of the fees...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Boating season is approaching. And the Bush administration wants to enlist the country's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a deadly weapon somewhere along the country's 95,000 miles of coastline and inland waterways.

A STRIPPER'S truncheon is an offensive weapon even though he uses it as a prop in his policeman act, prosecutors claimed yesterday. Student Stuart Kennedy was hauled into court after two female plain-clothes cops spotted him in a fake police uniform. They followed him into the Paramount Bar in Aberdeen and watched him perform as "Sergeant Eros" before charging him with carrying offensive weapons, which also included a fake CS cas canister He was cleared at the city's sheriff court - but yesterday the Crown challenged the ruling at the Appeal Court in Edinburgh. Sheriff Kenneth Stewart had ruled Stuart's...

Chelsea Clinton is Hillary's new weapon By Toby Harnden in Summerdale, Pennsylvania Last Updated: 9:35pm BST 16/04/2008 Hillary Clinton, struggling to contain a tidal wave of youth support for Barack Obama is dispatching the most trusted person in her life to implore university students to give her a chance - her daughter Chelsea. Miss Clinton 28, has taken leave from her New York job with a hedge fund to campaign relentlessly for her mother. Chelsea Clinton faces an uphill task among young voters, who strongly support Barack Obama Shielded by her parents' minders, she tries to keep out of the...

A man in New Zealand has been charged with using a hedgehog as a weapon, the New Zealand Herald has reported. Police said William Singalargh, 27, had hurled the hedgehog about 5m (16ft) at a 15-year-old boy. "It hit the victim in the leg, causing a large, red welt and several puncture marks," said Senior Sgt Bruce Jenkins, in the North Island town of Whakatane. It was unclear whether the hedgehog was still alive when it was thrown, though it was dead when collected as evidence. The police spokesman said the suspect was arrested "for assault with a weapon, namely...

Featured Debate discussing the veracity of Obama's claims that the US army is attacking the Taliban to get their weapons.