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The U.S. Navy has successfully tested a new weapon that uses high powered laser beams that are capable of destroying high speed planes and ships. The successful test was demonstrated today at an aerospace convention in the United Kingdom where a video showing the weapon destroying a test drone was screened. The laser gun which was designed by Raytheon Missile Systems utilizes a 32 mega watt beam of directed energy that is capable of engaging targets traveling at speeds of over 300 miles per hour from a distance of several miles. The weapon can be mounted on the turrets used...

Star Wars fans rejoice: someone has finally succeeded in creating a working lightsaber. And it can be yours for only US$197.97. Hong Kong company Wicked Lasers has manufactured “the most dangerous laser ever created,” a lightsaber with a blue beam that can burn retinas and set skin on fire. The Spyder III Pro Arctic features a 1 watt laser the company warns is the most powerful portable laser available. The beam is a thousand times more powerful than sunlight on skin and the manufacturer warns it could cause cancer. It’s definitely not something you want to give to your seven-year-old...

Ignorance. Putting their heads in the sand. Feel good legislation. I’m sick of politicians who cry for more restrictions on firearm ownership by law abiding citizens in the United States. Mexican President Felipe Calderon urged the return of the AWB today, and many in Congress cheered. Read the full post.

• According to government, industry, and academic officials, the use of rare earth materials is widespread in defense systems. These include, among others, • precision-guided munitions, • lasers, • communication systems, • radar systems, • avionics, • night vision equipment, and • satellites. • Officials emphasized the significance of the widespread use of commercial-off-the-shelf products in defense systems that include rare earth materials, such as computer hard drives. Objective 2: Rare Earth Materials Are Widely Used and Lack Substitutes Page 27

The Indian military has a new weapon against terrorism: the world's hottest chili. After conducting tests, the military has decided to use the thumb-sized "bhut jolokia," or "ghost chili," to make tear gas-like hand grenades to immobilize suspects, defense officials said Tuesday. The bhut jolokia was accepted by Guinness World Records in 2007 as the world's spiciest chili. It is grown and eaten in India's northeast for its taste, as a cure for stomach troubles and a way to fight the crippling summer heat. It has more than 1,000,000 Scoville units, the scientific measurement of a chili's spiciness. Classic Tabasco...

February 24, suddenly Chinese official media CCTV for the first time published shock screens of shooting down U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft in June 1958, to warn B-2 of the United Stites. In these short-range high-definition screens, the moment of Sam missile into the sky shot down U-2 high-definition instant pictures are very stunning！

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Monday expressed doubts about the usefulness of more sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. Prince Saud al-Faisal told a news conference in the Saudi capital that the threat posed by Iran's nuclear ambitions demands a more immediate solution than sanctions. He described sanctions as a long-term solution, and he said the threat is more pressing.

I'm a grown man and I love Nerf guns. I'm not alone either, which is why modders look to trick them out with new looks and new capabilities. Check out Oobject's list for 12 of the best Nerf mods. [Oobject]

There's a new weapon so smart it can pick off an enemy no matter where he's hiding. CNN's Rick Sanchez explains. Video at site

NZ link to plane seized with North Korea weapons Liam Baldwin | Tuesday December 15 2009 - 03:42pm A New Zealand company has been linked to a cargo plane seized in Thailand suspected of smuggling North Korea arms this week, possibly to the Middle East. Agence France Presse (AFP) quoted Georgian officials linking New Zealand registered company SP Trading to renting the plane – an Ilyushin-76 aircraft – to deliver its cargo. The plane was seized at Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport late last week during a refuelling stop. It was discovered that it contained 30 tonnes of weapons from North...

Thailand detains plane with weapons cache from N.Korea Sat Dec 12, 7:06 am ET BANGKOK (AFP) – Thai authorities have detained five people who landed in Bangkok in an east European cargo plane full of heavy weapons that originated in North Korea, officials told AFP Saturday. The plane's pilot requested to land at Bangkok's domestic Don Mueang airport Saturday morning, said government spokesman Panitan Wattanayakorn, and on inspecting the aircraft Thai authorities found the cache. "An eastern European airline asked to land this morning at Don Mueang airport to refuel its tank. When Thai authorities examined the aircraft they found...

In a wide-ranging interview in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily, air force commander Xu Qiliang said it was imperative for the PLA air force to develop offensive and defensive operations in outer space. "We must build an outer space force that conforms with the needs of our nation's development (and) the demands of the development of the space age." "Only power can protect peace," the 59-year-old commander said in the interview given to coincide with this month's 60th anniversary of the founding of the PLA air force.

1st Grader Brings Camping Utensil to School for Lunch, But Zero Tolerance Weapons Policy Leads to 45-Day Suspension - A 6-year-old boy's excitement over joining the Cub Scouts may just land him in reform school for 45 days. Zachary Christie was suspended from his 1st grade class in Delaware's Christina School District after bringing a camping utensil - a combination knife/fork/spoon - to use at lunch, prompting calls to reexamine schools' zero-tolerance policy for bringing weapons to school, according to a New York Times report Monday. Zero tolerance policies were instituted in many school districts across the country, at least...

Report: Russia hijacked its own ship Ynet probe reveals Russian intel used secret agents to arrest the Arctic Sea vessel, thought to have been hijacked by Israel, after getting tip it was violating international accord by carrying 'destabilizing' arms to Syria or Iran Ron Ben-Yishai Published: 09.02.09, 19:03 / Israel News A Ynet investigation revealed Wednesday that the hijacking of the Russian vessel 'Arctic Sea' was ordered by the Russian government. News agencies around the world published reports tying Israel to the hijacking, as the vessel was said to have been carrying arms to the Middle East, and possibly Iran....

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Aug. 6, 2009 – As U.S. forces fight insurgents in the southern and eastern regions of Afghanistan, officials are working to protect them with new technology, equipment and vehicles. Soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division’s 5th Brigade, Stryker Brigade Combat Team, equip their common remotely operated weapon station II with an M2 .50-caliber machine gun during training. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Elisebet Freeburg  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. One of the newest tools in their arsenal is the common remotely operated weapon station II, known as CROWS II, which enables soldiers to acquire and engage...

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...