Long-range Taser Uses Grenade Launcher
The Pentagon is working on a long-range taser using a grenade launcher.
"Don't tase me bro, don't tase me!"
That sentence still comes to mind years later after the video clip hit the Internet in September 2007. But with the Pentagon's latest long-range taser prototype, that situation won't be an issue, as the recipient won't see the charged projectile coming. The object here, according to the Pentagon, is to keep a safe distance between the recipient and the one carrying the weapon even though its to deliver an electric shock.
Unlike previous hand-held guns and shotguns, the latest taser uses a grenade launcher. That's right: relive the days of PC gaming by delivering an electrical grenade almost 200 feet away using a standard 40-millimeter grenade launcher. Taser International, who is under a $2.5 million contact with the US Department of Defense, will deliver the first projectile prototypes early next year.
But despite their non-explosive nature, the electrical grenades may still pose some harm. "There is a known risk of severe injury from impact projectiles, either from blunt force at short ranges or from hitting a sensitive part of the body," says security researcher Neil Davison. Wes Burgei, a project engineer at the US Department of Defense's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD), insists that the devices are designed to deliver minimal force upon impact. Paint balls aren't explosive, but they sure do hurt.
New Scientist reports that there's also concern about the duration of the shock. Because the distance is so great, the projectile will need to provide a shock that will keep the recipient immobile until the marksmen reach their incapacitated targets. A JNLWD reference book released in 2008 suggest that incapacitation times could be up to three minutes.
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A $2.5 million contract? That's not even pocket change for the Department of Defense, that's hardly even pocket lint. Still a cool idea though.
That's gonna be world's longest 3 minutes.
"the electrical grenades may still pose some harm"
... No shit, sherlock. Electrical grenade. Whether or not the force it's delivered with is harmful, I'm pretty sure 'Harm' is evident in the words 'Electrical Grenade'.
there already are taser shotgun shells
3 minutes? Risk of bodily harm?
When its terrorists, murderers, and other scumbags we're talking about, who gives a damn?
guns kill people but this gun leaves a serious bruis
*fires the launcher* "oops, i forgot to put replace my grenade with the electric one"
yep leave it up to the american government to turn this world into sheer hell
Electric Grenade...hrm just throw and iPhone at him, cheaper imo
A whole new meaning to the word "noob tube".
Hate to get one of these "hitting a sensative part of the body" with or without an electrical shock...... Ouch!!
Let's see, two hundred yards away, armed, dangerous, should I call up the Spec 1 with the Mongo Taser, or just open up with a burst from my M4? Wait, he's spotted me, taking aim.........PowPowPow. Next question?
Not to stomp all over them since they are obviously much more educated than me, but in my experience anything that travels about 200ft in less than a second or so tends to do bodily harm.....
/sarcasm
This is ridiculous, at what point will they consider "less than lethal force" lethal?
Taser International's own website claims that the Taser XREP(12 gauge taser shotgun cartridge) poses bodily harm from "blunt impact force." It's range is 100 feet so doubling that would seemingly more than double the impact force of the projectile.
I cannot fathom a need to incapacitate someone with a Taser from such a distance where rubber bullets, bean-bags and other traditional methods would not serve the same purpose.
No thanks. The flippin' taser prongs would go right through the person being shot.
If only they could mod this into Counter Strike Source!!!
so their new plan for the middle east is taser everyone?
Americans and their guns...
I was more interested in them wasting billions on ion propulsion. At least that has legitimate uses...
Sadly, I don't think a lot of readers here recognize the beauty of this supposedly non-lethal projectile. Our enemies in the middle east dress exactly the same as the people we are trying to protect. The troops must wait until they are fired upon before they can use their weapons, and they must physically see the weapon being used.
I say we get some inputs from readers who have actually been in the middle east before we blabber about how useful it would be to someone in the middle east.
One more use for the lightning grenade: fire it at a possible IED (hidden in parked cars, dead dogs, you name it). I'm not an explosives expert, but I would think an electrical charge like this would be able to detonate the IED from a safe distance.
In my country they just use machine guns. It's cheaper and they do the job right.
This less than lethal device is ment for area surpression not individuals. The LE agency I work for has been part of the on going field testing of various forms of what we call "WAD Shooters" Wide Area Dispersal. Imagine a module that is fired at around 220fps that then airburst discharges up to 100 probes and their conductive tethers. Anything hit by the probes or tangled in the tethers is administered the charge. We figure that once finalized the "WAD" will be able to incapacitate as many as 12-15 targets from 250 feet away.
"I cannot fathom a need to incapacitate someone with a Taser from such a distance where rubber bullets, bean-bags and other traditional methods would not serve the same purpose."
You do realize rubber bullets will cause severe bodily harm at close ranges and bean bags can cause internal damage depending on range and impact location? Tasers have their negative side effects as well, but far less potential for progressive damage or death as a result of use.
I can see it now: "I didn't mean to 'nade him, I thought it was my taser." (In reference to the case of the BART passenger New Years Eve in the San Francisco Bay Area.)
Where can I get some "electric buck" to go with my big daddy suit
Where can I get some brains to go with my stupid personality?
A grenade launch with iPhone ammo!
3 minutes? Risk of bodily harm?When its terrorists, murderers, and other scumbags we're talking about, who gives a damn?
until they start using them on college student protesters and 60 year old grandmas arguing over tickets. And you know it will lead to that.
The original taser was sold and marketed as a "non-lethal alternative to a gun, to be used in situations where the officer could safely disable a lethal threat instead of shooting and killing them". Now they use it on kids who won't eat their vegetables. Classic government "slippery slope".