US Air Force unveils hand-held laser gun

[Hardrock69]

By Michael Sirak JDW Staff Reporter
Washington, DC

The US Air Force has unveiled its first hand-held laser weapon that gives security forces a non-lethal option for controlling crowds and protecting areas like checkpoints, according to service officials.

While only in prototype form and years away from fielding, the weapon, known as the Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response (PHaSR) system, holds great promise, they said.

The PHaSR is about the same size and weight of a fully loaded M60 machine gun - around 9 kg - but shoots a low-power beam of laser light instead of bullets. The light it generates is capable of temporarily impairing an individual's vision, much like the disorienting glare one sees when looking into the sun, said the officials.

Upon completion of testing, one prototype will be handed over to the Department of Defense's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD) and the second to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ): the law enforcement arm of the US Department of Justice. Both organisations support the programme, with the latter interested in its civil applications.


HR69 Note: Handheld my ass.....19 pounds is hardly handheld...and M-60 is not a "handheld" weapon (meaning it cannot be reasonably operated with one hand), and if this thing is the same size....well....

Neat technology, but we have a ways to go before we are ready to arm Captain Kirk with one...

http://www.janes.com/security/law_enforcement/news/jdw/jdw051125_2_n.shtml

[Eyes of the Night]

US Air Force unveils hand-held laser gun

By Michael Sirak JDW Staff Reporter
Washington, DC

The US Air Force has unveiled its first hand-held laser weapon that gives security forces a non-lethal option for controlling crowds and protecting areas like checkpoints, according to service officials.

While only in prototype form and years away from fielding, the weapon, known as the Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response (PHaSR) system, holds great promise, they said.

The PHaSR is about the same size and weight of a fully loaded M60 machine gun - around 9 kg - but shoots a low-power beam of laser light instead of bullets. The light it generates is capable of temporarily impairing an individual's vision, much like the disorienting glare one sees when looking into the sun, said the officials.


Kewl ...

[jhale667]

"Temporarily impairing"? Skeptical here. You could say the same thing about Mace or Pepper-spray, but studies have shown if someone's psycho enough those two WILL NOT stop them---it just pisses them off!

[ELVIS]

Blinding them will piss them off for sure, but what are they gonna do about that ??

[jhale667]

Originally posted by ELVIS
Blinding them will piss them off for sure, but what are they gonna do about that ??

...Flail around wildly?

[The Scatologist]

They will use the force to feel their way around like Obi Wan Kenobi.

[Nitro Express]

I learned how to load an Uzi in the dark when I lived in Israel. A bright light just makes the person carrying it a target. Put on some welding goggles and fire a burst of .50 cal in that direction. I don't think a lazer is going to beat Ma Duece anytime soon.

[scamper]

Originally posted by Hardrock69


shoots a low-power beam of laser light instead of bullets. The light it generates is capable of temporarily impairing an individual's vision, much like the disorienting glare one sees when looking into the sun, said the officials.

Can't you buy the same thing with a key chain at your local hardware store?

[Hardrock69]

????

What is this post doing here?

It has nothing to do with politics....it needs to go back in Non...
:confused:

[knuckleboner]

the only real question is, can you stick the gun on top of a frickin' shark's head?

[m_dixon1984]

"The light it generates is capable of temporarily impairing an individual's vision, much like the disorienting glare one sees when looking into the sun, said the officials."

Hmmmm...don't sunglasses protect you from the "disorienting glare one sees when looking into the sun"???

Millions of dollars spent on research and development which can easily be made useless by a pair $3 sunglasses available at every gas station in the world.

Hazzah!! Money well spent, I say.

M

[BITEYOASS]

WTF! Where the hell did the Air Force get the money to spend on this crap?!?!?! When most of them aren't even in the warzone to begin with. And I know this for a fact, that C-5's, C-20's & C-130's can make stops in Iraq, but they're not ballsey enough to bring over they're F-15's or what have you to Iraq. Fuck, I wish the USMC would get the money from that program, it would have been better spent. I like the vehicular microwave idea better. And if that get blown up, then it's time to answer with my friends M16A2, SAW, M240G, M2 .50 cal and my favorite, MK-19 automatic grenade launcher.

[ODShowtime]

good times

[Nickdfresh]

The Russians were firing lasers (from planes) into our pilots eyes (to blind them) during the early 80's I think.

[Cathedral]

The first person this gets used on will sue, guarenteed.
Blindness is an area where at times there is no medical explanation to explain it.
How can any judge say someone's sight isn't impaired in that case?

This equals that can sitting on the table that you know is full of worms but just can't help opening, lol.

I tell ya, there is never any shortage of ways to waste tax payer dollars.