@Scott: @Optimus-Prime: Yes, saving lives through weaponry. Didn't anyone see Iron Man?

qbrad

The smell of bacon in that hangar is probably not as welcome as it is on most job sites.

dingus

Let there be light.

BigDogues

@Scott: The inventor of the gatling gun said the same thing. He intended it to save lives by reducing the number of people required to fight.

Optimus-Prime

I've specifically told them not to post pictures of my right nut.

Red3y3Ninja

@Optimus-Prime: Yeah, not by much though. I just want them to have a warm meal.

Joseph_Shaw_520

@Joseph_Shaw_520: wow, guess you beat me to it

Optimus-Prime

When soldiers see their buddy get fried by one of these bad boys they'll be surrendering quickly. I believe this will help decrease deaths on both sides of a conflict. USA! USA! USA!

Scott

More sharks with laser beams please

Optimus-Prime

They need to put these things on sharks....

Joseph_Shaw_520

Midair LASIk's anyone?

reesed91

Talk about getting the "Hairy Eyeball"!

siville

Atreyu disapproves.

Kaiser-Machead on the Edge

Sick...

unkpku is sick

PEW PEW PEW

Tarv

pete to Gizmodo commenters: More Real Genius references, please.
/hates popcorn
//6 inch spike
///stop playing with yourself Kent

pete

Oh, and another byproduct of laser cannon awesomeness:
Crispy critters

darthuv

@Scott:
USA all the way.

Direct byproduct of laser cannon awesomeness:
Increased numbers of soiled-pants surrending insurgents.

darthuv

Anybody else think this thing looks like Sauron wearing a pair of Oakley glasses?

egogg

@egogg: Actually it reminds me of 'The Masters' from the UK tv series of the 1960's fiction 'The Tripods'.

There's a poor screenshot sideview (you can barely see their huge eye) at [www.bbc.co.uk]

TravisO

@Scott: Yeah, as several have already commented, we'll add it to the long list of weapons that were supposed to end all wars.
That theory's been kicking around since the days of Greek fire. Probably before that even. I expect the maker of the first pointy stick claimed it's superiority to old flat stone technology would end all fighting.

wjousts

And war becomes a massive rave party.

EU_dig

Wow, do they realize even a single piece of bird crap get's on the objective of that hell spawn of a laser, the games all over.

FrankenPC

Wow. Every day we inch closer to the horror that was Real Genius.

Yes, I know pete came up with the reference first, but I'm still using the joke, dammit.

badhatharry

@Optimus-Prime: The inventor of the Gatling gun intended to end war itself, by making it too terrible to fight. Undoubtedly the Gatling did save lives at the tactical level, as did the Maxim and every other machine gun that followed it. That's why they're the basis of modern infantry movement and tactics.

Where Gatling failed was in misunderstanding human motivation. Assuming that people will be motivated by the same impulses as yourself is not only a bit arrogant, but a nice way to set yourself up for disappointment. Nobel wanted to make mining safer, yet his work on making safer high explosives lead to more and better weapons. Such is the human condition. As long as one human is willing to resolve to settle their dispute or address their grievance via force we will always have war. We were killing each other when all we had was sticks and stones, we'll be killing each other with lasers; it's just a question of effort and efficiency.

At the tactical level, where the decision is "do we all go over there and die" a Gatling/flamethrower/laser will make people have some common sense. At the strategic level, when the decision maker's butt is not in all probability directly on the line, someone will always be willing to send someone else to go and die. People tend to be very good at abstracting deaths/danger that isn't immediate or their's. Which is why you need strategic weapons too. Mutually Assured Destruction and mutual defense agreements saved lives by preventing more pissy little land wars in Europe by raising the stakes (and bringing those stakes directly to the guy who made the call) of invading your neighbor.

junyo

@EU_dig: Ahh, so you watched the Matrix 2!

TravisO

Build me an army worthy of Mordore

OtisCabeal

I feel sorry for the Airman that has to polish that left nut. That dude definitely just got tea-bagged.

vox9r

Can't wait to see what a goose strike does to that thing.

The Brain

@Joseph_Shaw_520: Or maybe just build huge robots that have ATL's as eyeballs, or one big enough to destroy Alderaan.

danatoth

They need to add some lashes to that thing.

witnessx

i love to see the crazy toys half of my tax dollars buy.

spider2544

I remember something about really toxic waste being associated with big lasers

Ornament

Funny how the Senate wants more money spent on developing laser weapons when they won't approve much-needed funding towards a war we're already fighting...

AeroBrat

@AeroBrat:

Or fund education or health care.

BaronVonCrogs

So, uh, they DO realize that laser weapons designed to blind people are banned according to the Geneva Convention, right?

Though I guess there may be a loophole:

"Article 1 of the Geneva Convention's Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons has laudable aims. It states, "It is prohibited to employ laser weapons specifically designed, as their sole combat function or as one of their combat functions, to cause permanent blindness to unenhanced vision."

But Article 3 opens the door to lasers that blind ­ so long as that was not their aim. It states: "Blinding as an incidental or collateral effect of the legitimate military employment of laser systems, including laser systems used against optical equipment, is not covered by the prohibition of this Protocol"."
[www.newscientist.com]

/sigh

SimianNinja