Theories on Near Future Weapons?

I've been tossing around some ideas for plausable futuristic weapons designs for use in various fictional formats. Since I like to have some plausibility involved, I'm casting my nets out to you all to see what sorts of ideas and/or links you might have.

Anyone have anything to toss around?

Here's a thought to get started based on rail technology;

If you're using a large electical charge to power your magnetic rails, what would happen if your projectial was to be designed to be partially vaporized and magnatized?

Sounds like you could have a workable plasma launcher to me.

Of cource, you'd need a very specialized projectial. I'm thinking a slender iron core with an aluminium shell. The iron would be to hold the magnetic charge. The aluminium shell is the easiest thing I can think of to vaporize for use as your plasma.

why not simply use Tungsten?
It has a tendency to turn itself to plasma in high energy impacts. So when fired from rail/gauss/magnetic gun to for example tank armour at high velocities, it turns into plasma as it penetrates.

I've got an idea of magnetic shotgunround, a round where pellets or even better flechetes are held in a group thats size can be varied (for example 1m in diameter) by magnetic force between the projectiles... useful?

Originally posted by northwolf
.......(for example 1m in diameter) by magnetic force between the projectiles... useful?

For controlling the area of spread?

That is useful. But may need individual magnetic cores for each fragment.

im thinkin that microwave weapons are going to be the more likely weapons to be made in the near future . I mean ever seen water molecules when they are exposed to microwave radiation??? i makes em very "excited" and they vibrate imagine all the water molecules in your head doing thatyour head would explode very effecttive in shock and awe warfare

Originally posted by northwolf
why not simply use Tungsten?
It has a tendency to turn itself to plasma in high energy impacts. So when fired from rail/gauss/magnetic gun to for example tank armour at high velocities, it turns into plasma as it penetrates.

This is true, and most likely what will be used in near futurer rail weapons. The only catch is that you need a hard target to zaporize the tungsten round and the effect is more limited. What I'm imagining would have more of a splash effect and thus be more useful against soft targets.

I've got an idea of magnetic shotgunround, a round where pellets or even better flechetes are held in a group thats size can be varied (for example 1m in diameter) by magnetic force between the projectiles... useful?

I have a *feeling* that this would reduce overall range. The magnetic force would be pulling against the air currents and would induce more drag for the cluster as a whole.
This is just a feeling based on my basic understandy of areo-dynamics, however. I could be wrong.

On the topic of shotgun ammo, have you ever hear of "dragon's breath" rounds? It's using thermic pelets in a shotgun that are ignited when fired. This makes for a very nasty insendery weapon. Unfortunatly, it also tends to melt the barrel of your shotgun.

I've toyed with the notion of using a liquid cooled multi-barreled rotery shotgun to off-set the heat build up. Such a weapon would probably have to be mounted (we're talking some serious wieght here!), but it would amount to a flame thrower that could melt concreat or armoured trargets at close range.

It would also be hella spectacular to see this proposed beast firing!

Originally posted by Neutrino
im thinkin that microwave weapons are going to be the more likely weapons to be made in the near future .

I have questions as to how tight a sustainable beam you could produce would be. It seems to me that if the beam was powerful enough to do significant damage quickly, it would also "cook" the air that it travels through. Thus, you'd loose alot of power in transmition.

how about a contained nuclear reaction that only fires a fraction of a second after it hits the target. then imagine it was armor piercing then imagine you put into a bullet of a 9mm mmm nasty Nuke Bullets

Likely is the antimatter bomb, Laser and Plasma weapons and SUPER POWERFUL NUCLEAR WEAPONS ABLE TO WIPE OUT THE ENTIRE EARTH.