Future weapons

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wet1

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I made passing reference to this in site feedback. It struck me that it would also make a good thread subject.

So what do you envision future weapons to do? What would you like/expect to be developed as a weapon?

For my part, I would like to see nonlethal methods more in use. Things like maybe a net gun that would fire a net to immobilize a person rather than shooting and killing. Tangle or sticky webs.

Weapons that won't work except for the individual that it was assigned too. Also a weapon with a computer authorization so that it would not fire unless ok'ed by the main military headquarters.

I realize that this will not work for every application in warfare. It would go a long way towards the saving of lives on the battle front in some applications.

What are your thoughts?
 
some laser that destroys everything, but organic material would remain intackt.
 
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Originally posted by wet1
For my part, I would like to see nonlethal methods more in use. Things like maybe a net gun that would fire a net to immobilize a person rather than shooting and killing. Tangle or sticky webs.
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Not effective, I don't think. Part of the effectiveness of a weapon is in its ability to decively, painfully, and brutally end life in a graphic way. Granted, for some situations (such as law enforcement) this would work and I fully support the research regardless, it's not a pragmatic solution in most applications.

Weapons that won't work except for the individual that it was assigned too. Also a weapon with a computer authorization so that it would not fire unless ok'ed by the main military headquarters.
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www.metalstorm.com

They pulled it off, but it's a bad idea. Too many systems to malfunction. Worst gun ever.

I realize that this will not work for every application in warfare. It would go a long way towards the saving of lives on the battle front in some applications.
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True, but the benefits would not outweigh the risk. Not until technology progresses much further, at least.

But I support research in all types of weaponry. Heh, it's part of my job. :)
 
As for nonlethal, a paintball marker serves, although you would need to turn up the velocity to achieve the affect you want, and a change in ammunution may be required. I can easily see a cop carrying a PT Enforcer as well as his 9mm.
 
I'll add that we should expect to see caseless ammunition systems become commonplace within the next two decades at the most. The Heckler and Koch G11 fired a three round burst using 4.7x33mm caseless ammunition in 1985, so the technology is not new.

Global politics (the fall of the Soviet Union) kept it from ever being anything. :(

A good site on the G11 and other awesome weaponry by H&K is here. It has a video of the 2000rpm burst.
 
I love the idea of net guns and such, especially some kind of resin cannon for immobilizing (tracked) vehicles with a quickly solidifying epoxy. It would be pretty terrifying to be hit with a sticky glob of gook that hardens and makes it impossible to move. Maybe something similar to that foam insulation that you can spray between walls. It expands and becomes solid.

Non lethal weapons have a sort of sinister 1984 aspect to them. It is somewhat palatable politically to use them against civilian populations, for riot suppression etc. -- like how rubber bullets are commonly used to break up anti-globalization protests.

The "new" style of weapon design with guns like the FN p-90, and the HK PNG is awesome.

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I love the futuristic look of the largely polymer based guns.

Some of them are almost laughably "futuristic" like the south african vector cp-1 pistol and cr-21 rifle:

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vektor_cr21.jpg
 
lets see Metalstorm, Mass drivers, Heat beams for causing extreme pain to open crowds without actually doing any damage... so forth.
 
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I do remember hearing one US General commenting that the military is 5 years through a 20 year plan on improving guided missiles. That is, only a quarter into the plan we have 70% of the bombs in a war being guided.

I think the net idea is a little ridiculous. How far away are solidiers during gun fight? Is it possible to make a net that (a) travels that far - and (b) travels that far with accuracy, speed and consistency? Maybe, I really don't know. Besides that though we have to keep in mind that in all likelyhood any nation we fight will use bullets. Will using a net put us at a disadvantage?


"Also a weapon with a computer authorization so that it would not fire unless ok'ed by the main military headquarters."

What if a group of solidiers is suddenly attacked by militia or an ambush?
 
What if a group of solidiers is suddenly attacked by militia or an ambush?
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Such would make the authorization of weapons to be live immeadate. In todays methods of communications the reactions would be almost instaneous.
 
I think metalstorm guns are a great idea: no moving parts to jam, computer control firing rate, 1,000,000 rounds per min possible rate of fire, total user lock controls. The only problem is it needs batteries but considering that will be its only jam possible its far more reliable then normal mechanicals guns.

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If I had a gun with that many barrels boring down on me I would pee my pants!

Look at the gun above: it can hold 24 rounds, fire them in automatic at any rate, shot gun in 2,4,8 round blasts, 2 or 3 round simultaneous stream for armor pericing needs, and top it off only the guy holding the gun with a electronic transponing ring can fire it. the metalstorm hand gun system authorizes and actives in under 20ms, so there is no delay in needing the gun ready to kill by authorized personel. Every time the gun fires its recorded in memory. it can also fire foam bag bullets for non-lethal needs. ammo is loaded in to each barrel individual or if speed of loading is need the barrel array can be quickly remove and replace with a pre-loaded array.
 
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Metalstorm looks impressive for domestics (cops/self defense), but I can see where the military would have problems with it.

As a side note: most of these new 'non-lethal' weapons are not as safe as people seem to think. The chance of killing the person is always there. My fear is that cops might not realize the dangers of the new technology, and not hesitate to use it.
 
What military problems? there making metal storm grenade launchers as a area of denial substitute for land mines. As well as a metalstrom bomblit dropper. The problem comes in that metalstrom technology can not work for supersonic rounds or bullets below 9mm.

http://www.metalstorm.com/
 
As a side note: most of these new 'non-lethal' weapons are not as safe as people seem to think. The chance of killing the person is always there. My fear is that cops might not realize the dangers of the new technology, and not hesitate to use it.
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If a nonlethal weapon breaks someone's rib, whereas the cop's pistol will put a bullet through the heart, I fail to see the problem. The answer here is training.
 
In the spirit of my favorite Sci-fi worlds.

Flying Powered Armor. Great fun for kids and adults. Especially when coupled with explosive and flame based weapons.
 
Originally posted by WellCookedFetus
The problem comes in that metalstrom technology can not work for supersonic rounds or bullets below 9mm.
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That right there is why it's only useful in select instances for the military. Battle rifles fire high powered cartridges usually 5.56mm and with a very high muzzle velocity, on the order of 3,000FPS, or roughly Mach three.

The military needs range, accuracy, and stopping power - the three most important attributes of a military service cartridge. Unless metalstorm can deliver this it is useless to the military and will probably be relegated to law enforcement where its electronic inhibitor will come in handy.

Metalstorm is cool stuff but it's utterly impractical for military infantry weaponry in its present form and it doesn't really show a lot of promise in that direction either. They're also a real bitch to reload.
 
Stokes Pennwalt,

I don't disagree with you there. Metalstorm uses militarily seem limited to handguns and grenade launchers. A standard rifle could be loaded with a 40mm (or 20mm) Metalstrom grenade launcher for example but the metalstorm setup will not replace the rifle its self. Maybe if we uses saber rounds though… hum.

Anyone know about a heat ray for disabling crowds?
 
Damn man. The ammunition in the G11 must be super lightweight.. Otherwise, firing 33 bullets per second would cause some serious recoil. The lightness of the gun would add to that effect too.
 
That not the way the G11 works its shots only 3 round burst simultaneously. Its normal rate of fire is only 400-500rpm.
 
on the subject of non lethal weapons, what does any body know about ones that use noise or better yet, vibrations. Would it be possible to destroy something by, say, a really low base noise? Certainly crystal can be shattered by a high pitch and the bible makes mention of yhe walls of Jerico being destroyed I believe by loud trumpet blasts. Has there been any research in modern weaponry? Perhaps there is a vibration and pitch that could be set at such a level that it renders a person useless. Like the sound of my ex. when she fought with me, perhaps?
 
I have heard of research on sound being used as a crowd deterrant, but I don't know where I read it at.

One of the projects in the geophysics department at my school deals with sound and light waves and the vibrations they put out. One neat little tool they have is a speaker box that outputs sound at an ultrasonic frequency. After traveling through the air for a certian distance the frequency gets transformed into a sonic frequency. Standing directly in front of the speakers I couldn't hear any noise, however when I moved out of the waves path and allowed it to reflect off a wall it was then audible. Another cool thing was when they rotated the speaker around in a circle the sound went swirling around me(at least that's what it sounded like). It was amazing stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if that technology someday made it into the anti-personal field.

The research being done with that speaker system was to vibrate the ground and record the reflected vibrations to find landmines. So there's one use already.
 
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