We all watched Star Wars and marveled at those exciting laser weapons that were used in space battles. The creators of that film demonstrated what many of us had imagined future warfare would look like.
And here we are a few decades later, seeing weapons like these come to life right before our eyes. In some cases, the weapons that are being created in real life are more advanced than those we saw in science fiction movies.
Let us examine 6 future weapons that will immensely change tomorrow’s battlefield.
Hypersonic Glide Weapon
Russia recently announced that it now has a hypersonic glide weapon called the Avangard. This new weapon is fully operational and ready for war. The Russians are the first to possess this brand new class of nuclear weapons. Allegedly, no other military in the world can defend itself from this new weapon system.
The Avangard is capable of traveling at 27 times greater than the speed of sound. Its canny ability to make sharp in-flight maneuvers will render conventional missile defensive systems as helpless.
The Russians and Americans have been trying to develop hypersonic weapons for many years. And having this kind of weapon in the world is a very troubling sign.
Bioweapons that Target Specific DNA
Amazingly soon, we could see the creation of biological weapons that strike only people with a specific DNA structure, while ignoring everyone else. Many concerned experts see this as a potential racist weapon that could seek to destroy members of certain ethnic groups.
Cambridge University studies have revealed this potential threat. They are sounding the alarm of how genetic manipulation and artificial intelligence could create weapons like this. It is believed that killer pathogens could be used to attack people of a specific race.
The biggest concern of researchers is that weapons like these are becoming more and more affordable. This makes the technology accessible to millions of militants worldwide.
Missile Killing Laser Weapon
The US Navy is developing a High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-dazzler with Surveillance system (HELIOS) that will specialize in shooting down enemy missiles. The current plan is to deploy HELIOS in 2021 on the destroyer Preble, based in Hawaii.
Lockheed Martin is currently developing HELIOS, which is a 60-kilowatt laser that can be expanded to 150 kilowatts. And since the same company produces the existing Aegis combat system that is used on Navy cruisers and destroyers, it will fully be integrated.
The vision for HELIOS is to get it functional and then expand its power. Once it reaches 500 kilowatts, it will be capable of shooting down hypersonic missiles.
Kamikaze Drones
Pentagon has tested a “suicide drone” which can travel at hypersonic speeds to its target and then explode itself like a suicide bomber. After this, it gave the project to the US Army for more development.
Referred to as the “Vintage Racer”, this amazing weapon will not only be a low-cost alternative to other weapons, it will have the ability to loiter over its target for 60–90 minutes.
Additionally, the small size of the Vintage Racer will have a low radar signature which makes it even more deadly.
Long Range Taser Projectile
The US Marines have created a long-range electrocution projectile that can hit its target up to 100 feet away. Today’s standard Taser guns have a range of 26 feet.
This new electrocution rifle is considered less than lethal and is called SPECTER (Small arms Pulsed Electronic Tetanization at Extended Range).
Harkind Dynamics is currently developing this projectile using US Department of Defense funding. SPECTER can be fired and deployed using a standard 12-gauge shotgun.
Super Cannon
The US Army is currently making a powerful super cannon that will fire rounds more than 1,150 miles. This distance is approximately the same span that separates Nashville, Tennessee from New York City.
Since the US already has long-range missile defense capabilities, Army officials believe that super cannons will be an effective supplement to coastal and other artillery defensive systems. Another benefit of the super cannon is that it will utilize low-cost ammunitions — as compared to existing defense systems.
