Free Republic

U.S. Navy video by John WilliamsU.S. Navy engineers at the Office of Naval Research prepared and test-fired a slug from their rail gun in a 2008 test firing. On Friday, December 9, the ONR will attempt to break its own record. A theoretical dream for decades, the railgun is unlike any other weapon used in warfare. And it's quite real too, as the U.S. Navy has proven in a record-setting test today in Dahlgren, VA. Rather than relying on a explosion to fire a projectile, the technology uses an electomagnetic current to accelerate a non-explosive bullet at several times...

But officials refuse, concerned non-lethal effects could be seen as torture By Richard Lardner Updated: 2:55 p.m. MT Aug 29, 2007 Saddam Hussein had been gone just a few weeks, and U.S. forces in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, were already being called unwelcome invaders. One of the first big anti-American protests of the war escalated into shootouts that left 18 Iraqis dead and 78 wounded. It would be a familiar scene in Iraq's next few years: Crowds gather, insurgents mingle with civilians. Troops open fire, and innocents die. All the while, according to internal military correspondence obtained by The Associated...

A nine-pronged fork at the end of a 30-foot (10 metre) metal arm, a remote-guided weapons system "100 times better" than a gunner, and a bulldozer named "Natasha" are among the best weapons US soldiers in Iraq have in their war against roadside bombs. The hunt for improvised explosive devices (IEDS) is one of the most important missions at this sprawling base, which sits about seven miles (11 kilometers) from executed dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. Reporters visiting Camp Speicher with Vice President Dick Cheney this week got a demonstration from soldiers eager to give journalists a small taste...

Tavor-21 Rifle Headed Into Service With Indian Special Forces Posted 28-Feb-2007 06:36 In late 2002, India signed a Rs. 880 million (about $20 million) deal with Israel Military Industries for 3,070 TAR-21 Tavor assault rifles, a new bullpup design developed for use by the Israeli Defense Forces. The Israelis had just selected the compact Tavor over the Colt M4/M16 as its next-generation assault rifle, and the compact new weapons would be issued to India's special forces personnel, where its ergonomics, reliability in heat and sand, and and fast-point/ fast-shoot design might give them an edge in close-quarters shootouts and employment...

Discover weapons that will always find their target, including the AS50 semi-automatic sniper rifle, the Vulcan and Aardvark mine destroyers, the SMAW-NE shoulder-launched thermobaric munition and the Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle.