Future Weapons of War in the Works

An anonymous reader writes "Who needs explosive missiles when you can just launch a 3 foot long chunk of metal at near Mach 7 speeds and get the same result? Popular Science looks at weapons the military is developing for future wars including electromagnetic railguns, space darts, superfast torpedos, laser cannons, and a gun that fires a million rounds per minute."

Comments

As I've always said

[Anonymous Coward]

Military technology is striving to be one big Quake clone I mean, we already have aimbots, now there are railguns....next thing you know the US Army will be wallhacking.

Re:As I've always said

[pubjames]

It makes you wonder if John McCormack actually influences the military with his games.

Perhaps he could bring about world peace by making non-violent weapons?

Coming in Doom 4... custard cannons, exploding jelly mines and balloons filled with rasberry sauce.

Re:As I've always said

[bluelan]

They already are wall hacking, as reported on slashdot in '99.

Real life wall hacking

Now here's the moral delimna. If we can do it in real life, is it cheating?

Re:As I've always said

[Anonymous Coward]

"... influences the military with his games."

Surely you mean with his songs. Either that or you're talking about John Carmack.

What about this one?

[Anonymous Coward]

They can brag all they want, I won't be impressed until they get the BFG 9000.

Re:US Army

[nacturation]

Microsoft's Digital Rifle Management?

meanwhile, Bin Ladin

[PsiPsiStar]

We're developing space based weapons. But watch out. Bin Ladin is developing Ewoks.

Re:meanwhile, Bin Ladin

[Anonymous Coward]

But watch out. Bin Ladin is developing Ewoks.

For the love of Jehovah, will the madness never end? Will somebody stop this sick, sick man before the BInks is developed, I beg you, stop this man.

Re:meanwhile, Bin Ladin

[richie2000]

Bin Ladin is developing Ewoks.

So that's what it is? Silly me, I thought he was growing a beard to feel more manly.

Space darts?

[mkavanagh2]

"...and what are you researching now, Professor Dexter?"
"Space bats."
"Space bats?"
"You bet your ass."

Space darts

[BabyDave]

... space darts, ...

Research is now beginning into surface-to-air Tiddlywinks, and atomic Shove Ha'penny.

In other news, British scientists have abandoned their work on railguns after they found that the projectiles continually arrived an hour late. This was blamed on the "wrong sort of magnetism".

Re:Popular science?

[kinema]

I refuse to click on the link.

Ah, a true Slashdoter.

Re:Why?

[PsiPsiStar]

But medical research is such an EXPENSIVE way to kill things - rats in cages mostly, and a few rabits and primates. Booooriiinggg. Guns are much cheaper and far more interesting.

Re: 1 million shots a minute

[Black Parrot]

> Think of one of those in an Apache helicopter.
Lets's say it's fired upon with a ground to air missile. Give it 2 seconds to impact. Assume the automated gun can be aimed at the missile in 1 second. So the next second it will be firing at 1 million rounds pr minute, so about 16000 bullets are fired at the missile, surely some of them will hit and destroy.

And if not, maybe the recoil will push the heli out of the missile's path.

Re:1x10^6 rounds per minute - inaccurate stats.

[carvalhao]

No to mention that, if Newton got his apples right, you'd have an incredible thrust is the oposite direction. Now, the A10, which boasts a considerable firing rate off it's cannon already slows down a bit when firing... I can envision some aircraft going backwards with this one! ;)

Torpedo technology

[dcsmith]

From the PopSci article - In the case of the supercavitating torpedo described in this article, skeptics ask where the need is. "If we ever face a hostile navy again I'd like to take a look at it," says Thompson. "Obviously it's an improvement over what we have, but what's the enemy? It's not enough to have a weapon that can use new technology creatively. It needs to answer a valid military need or threat."

He obviously doesn't read /. or he would know that that sneaky Swedish Navy is up to no good. We may need those torpedoes!!

I don't get you people...

[Anonymous Coward]

You guys bitch and moan about engineering jobs crossing the seas to India, but look at this - the defense industry provides tons of jobs to intelligent American engineers and computer scientists. These are jobs that will NEVER be outsourced, either... Yet, it's always the same people complaining we should put more money into education instead of developing these weapons. Granted, education is great.. but sometimes it seems like we're just throwing money away on wasted reforms ("Leave No Child Behind" act).. More money isn't gonna solve the schooling problem in our country, better management of teh money will. Giving money to the defense industry rather is a win-win situation - it keeps hundreds of thousands of engineers/scientists employed (not to mention, thinking of innovative and creative solutions), while keeping America safe.

Loved the article, btw.

Re:MS DRM

[escher]

Ready! Fire! Aim!

WW2 = Good??? // Mod Parent Down!!!

[danharan]

"It harkens back to the good old days of WWII."

The good old days???

Cowardly troll! Just because it's politically correct to think all these wars are bad, we must remember it was a good and noble war against an enemy that disregarded the authority of the League of Nations. Officially using the pretext of humanitarian intervention and seeking to protect itself against terrorists, it led a campaign for unchallenged world domination, including control of resources.

A regime so authoritarian that it created attacks against itself to justify intervening against minorities and other states. A regime of such unspeakable evil that even its willing executioners smiled while butchering their victims.

Re:US Army

[wattersa]

"It looks like you are trying to fire your weapon. Would you like to:
- Learn more about ballistics
- See a maintenance diagram
- Find help on the internet
- Run the Rifle Setup Wizard?"

[troop inserts loaded magazine]
"Windows has detected new hardware, would you like to look for a driver on the internet now?"

[it jams]
"An unrecoverable error has occurred in RIFL4512.dll.
(A)bort, (R)etry, (C)ontinue?"

Yeah, I think I'll pass on this DRM also!

Re:US Army

[dfenstrate]

"... he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one." Jesus,

Luke 22: 36

Re:What? You mean like the British army

[Lord_Dweomer]

"- While Friendly Fire was feared & factored into plans, both Monty & Patton tried hard to close the Falaise pocket. "

For a moment I read that as Monty Python, and suddenly I began visualizing your post in a whole different way.

Re:US Army

[Fig, formerly A.C.]

They could even use "Clippy" for a mascot, but it wouldn't be a damn paper clip this time. :-)