Weapons: The Future
of War
BY NICHOLAS NG
HON 301
PROFESSORS EDUARDO MENDIETA AND
FREDERICK WALTER
Old Methods of War
 Hand
to hand combat
 Bladed
weapons such as
swords, spears, pikes
 Projectile
weapons mostly
used in siege warfare
 Very
messy!
The Current State of
Arms
 Discovery
of gunpowderexplosives fueled projectiles
 Small
arms changed from blades
to guns
 Today,
almost universally fueled
by gunpowder or explosive
chemicals
Tactical Evolution
 Siege
warfare – essentially
nonexistent; too costly in manpower
terms
 Guerilla-style
tactics – much more
prevalent on the ground
 Heavier
emphasis placed on taking
actual humans out of harm’s way
while fighting
General Characteristics of
New Weapons
 Designed
for efficiency
 Some
used to incapacitate or otherwise
disable enemy combatants instead of killing
them
 Either
hindering the actual personnel or their
vehicles
 Emphasis
on lethality to enemies with minimal
risk to allies
Acoustic weapons – The
“Sound Cannon”

Used to incapacitate humans without
killing them using sound waves

Can be used to broadcast vocal
commands or used to direct a sound
beam at a distance

Problems: Can cause permanent
damage to humans despite being
non-lethal
Electromagnetic weapons
– railguns



US Navy recently mounted and testfired a railgun on one of their warships;
the project was begun in 2005
Launches solid projectiles using
electromagnetism instead of
gunpowder or chemicals with a much
faster speed(4500 MPH) and range
Problems: Electricity generation and
storage, heat management, material
lifespan
Light-based weapons –
weaponizing lasers
 US
Navy tested a laser weapon
on board a warship; mostly used
in defense against aerial threats
 Variant
developed by Lockheed
Martin able to disable a truck’s
engine
 Problems:
Heat efficiency, line of
sight, environmental issues,
requires a lot of energy
Development of a new area of
war – Cyber Warfare



The growing importance of the
Internet and online servers for
storing information has led to
the development of tools to
wage a bloodless war online
DDoS Attacks – Can be used on
anyone, is relatively easy to run
an attack with; some of the
most common attacks
Hacking into infrastructure such
as power grids or information
storage
More on Cyber Warfare



Obviously not directly harmful to
humans
Governments are building their own
“digital armies” to both protect
themselves and strike back against
cyber attackers
Does not have to be targeted towards
the government or its infrastructureCyberterrorism
 Hacking
of Sony Pictures Entertainment
 Attack on governmental social media
accounts
Where can we go from
here?

Enhancement of already-existing weapons
 Further

development of unmanned weapons
Lethality of weapons in development
 Railguns
can already be lethal; lasers tested for disabling
vehicles but can be used in antipersonnel role

Tactical evolution: Likely to continue on its current path

Move more towards fighting online than in person

What happens when we send only robots to do our fighting?
New Weapons?


Recent rise in guerilla warfareweapons designed more for this
type of battle such as traps
Focus on removing human soldiers
from potential harm
 Autonomous
ground battle robots
 Further development of drones
 Potential problems: Differentiating
between friend, foe, and
noncombatant; possibility of
nations more willing to fight if
soldiers are not in danger
References











http://thebulletin.org/stopping-killer-robots-and-other-future-threats8012
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/inside-the-secret-digital-arms-race/
http://ctnsp.dodlive.mil/files/2014/03/Cyberpower-I-Chap-19.pdf
http://www.nato.int/docu/review/2013/cyber/timeline/EN/index.htm
http://gizmodo.com/what-is-the-lrad-sound-cannon-5860592
http://science.dodlive.mil/2014/04/09/here-comes-the-boom-the-real-railgun-of-the-us-navy/
http://faculty.kfupm.edu.sa/EE/husainm/EE%20340/Research%20Projects/Students%20R
eports/6-%20Railguns-%20Al-Khaldi.pdf
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2015/march/ssc-spaceathena-laser.html
http://www.northropgrumman.com/AboutUs/AnalysisCenter/Documents/pdfs/Operati
onal_Implications_of_La.pdf
https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-015
http://www.onr.navy.mil/~/media/Files/FactSheets/35/Electromagnetic%20Railgun_Dec%2029%202014.ashx