Gizmodo
Those of you who are familiar with Arthur C. Clarke's 1955 novel Earthlight may recognize a new weapon from DARPA dubbed the Magneto Hydrodynamic Explosive Munition (MAHEM). In the novel, a commander unleashes "The Stiletto"—a weapon consisting of a jet of molten metal hurled through space by an electro-magnet. The MAHEM concept works in much the same way, using a magnetic field to propel a chunk of molten metal that will morph into an aerodynamic slug in flight.
Other weapons, like the High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) round have utilized similar technology for years using an explosive charge instead of a magnetic field as the propellant. According to DARPA "MAHEM could be packaged into a missile, projectile or other platform and delivered close to target for final engagement and kill"—and it would undoubtedly whup some serious ass. Whether the 53 year old idea actually comes to fruition remains to be seen. [DARPA via NewScientist]
Comments
YOUR the AMATEUR
its a frackin rail gun
sounds like the MAC gun from halo :(
god i miss the days of halo. now it's call of duty.
What we need is a daisy bomb with a coil gun warhead. First it drills deep within the target then it unleashes the molten slugs
You know whoever came up with the acronym for this thing was giggling to themselves that they'd managed to call it "mayhem"
why must we kill each other?
@bobbiac: Actually not a rail gun, stupid. That would require a gun, not a missile. After reading the new scientist article this weapon doesn't seem like a big leap, only an improvement on the delivery method of the molten projectiles from a HEAT round, which could be applied to missile defense and other applications.
@MrBlahBlah:
seriously....
HEY LOOK THEY CAME OUT WITH A NEW WAY TO KILL PEOPLE!!! AWESOME RIGHT?
it would be more impresive to see technology that brings us together and makes peace.
it's not pasivism it's common sense, war and death only makes war and death(oh and profit for governments and oil co.s but don't mind the man behind the metal curtan)
peace makes peace.... it's fuckin simple.
fuck gizmodo for jumping on the darpa bandwagon.
here's a challenge, come up with a technology that treats the catalyst to violence and death not the symptoms.
you might argue that these weapons are necesary because "BAD PEOPLE" are out there and they want to kill you and rape your wife!!! well, how did that work out with every weapon in existence throughout history??
Q.what do the "BAD PEOPLE" use against us??
A. THE WEAPONS WE CREATED!
and they don't seem to even want to bother with the little ones, they want the BIG ones just like us. why have an army full of malitia when you just need a bomb?
@weak_pig: My the amateur? Why thank you for YOUR kindness. YOU'RE a great man.
@MrBlahBlah: Because we're on top of the food chain, nothing else is trying to kill us.
@Sublimenaltouches: Agreed, fighting for peace is like fu*king for virginity.
so its a rail gun with a molten slug. I like it. I can't imagine he's gonna be happy to see this thing out there actually making some ludicrous gibs.
The human race will always fight itself until it finds something else to fight. So if you want people to stop shooting at each other, hope we find or are found by an alien race soon. until then we will continue to have disagreements with each other that result in people getting violent with each other.
@jackfrost132, Sublimenaltouches:
There will never be "peace" as long as evil exists in this world. And if you want to remain free than you have to realize that freedom isn't free. It has cost many lives to obtain freedom in America and it will cost many more to our freedom secure. That's just how it is.
Maybe in your magic land of unicorns and fairy dust everybody just holds hands and huddles around a warm fire singing Imagine, but that's just not the way it is in the real world.
@Technogen:
Finally the answer for peace in the middle east. We need to find some E.Ts, hold them down, and kick their asses!
@Rabid Penguin:
"many more to [keep] our freedom secure."
@Sublimenaltouches: TRUE common sense is that war, while regrettable, is sometimes necessary. Unless of course you're willing to always accept the status quo, no matter how intolerable (e.g. Nazi Germany). Most people won't accept that.
The prudent society works as hard as possible for peace, but also stays prepared in case of war.
@Rabid Penguin: I'm not saying having a military isn't needed when war comes a knocking, but why is it America's place to bring democracy to other countries?
Oh no, Osama has attacked America, quickly to afgan... No Iraq! lets fight Saddam... Oh he's dead now lets bring democra... Doh.
@Sublimenaltouches: nonono, see, you got it all wrong. By the time this comes to fruition, all human lives will be removed form the battlefield, and we will fight wars with remote control robots. That's what this weapon is for, and its so much cooler because of it!!
@jackfrost132:
I agree with you on that.
"To be prepared for War is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace."
- George Washington
War is not something we desire, but we must be prepared for it.
"There is a time for everything ... a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."
- Ecclesiastes 3
if its anything like those molten slugs from twilight princess it will be more annoying than deadly
@Bob_of_Mars:
That's a slippery slope there... Before you know it humans will be back on the front lines having to fight the robots they created.
@bobbiac: Yep I agree sounds like a rail gun
" It has cost many lives to obtain freedom in America and it will cost many more to our freedom secure"
Wars aren't about freedom, they are about resources.
That has been the way it's been and will become more obvious to those who don't yet realize it as this century moves forward.
Guess which resources.
@Sublimenaltouches:
Point by point:
Any suggestions on that "peace making technology?"
It's hippy, flower child pacifism, definitely not commonsense. We fight for our lives and the future of our country, not oil or money.
Victory makes peace. Yes it is simple.
BAD PEOPLE are out there, and we need to defend ourselves, and a good bit of the rest of the world as well.
A bit out of order, but thank you Gizmodo for your DARPA coverage. DARPA is where some of the most exciting tech comes from, and the competition/prize model is going to prove effective in other areas such as space exploration.
Sorry for getting political, Sean. Good post.
@soulfinger:
Wars are fought for all different reasons, and there are always two sides to every war.
"Wars aren't about freedom, they are about resources. ... Guess which resources."
Are you saying every war is fought for oil? Hitler didn't start WWII for oil, and the USA didn't enter WWII for oil either. We didn't fight the Civil War for oil. We didn't fight the revolutionary war for oil either.
I think you're misinformed.
@Rabid Penguin: I'm pretty sure George Washington didn't foresee the kind of devastation available to today's warmongers when he said that.
@MrBlahBlah: To keep the population in check. Otherwise the world's human population would grow exponentially and then EVERYTHING would die. Really war is the only humane thing to do
We already export our most efective weapon....Mcdonalds burgers...we kill by stealth now
Where we fail to capitalise is.....we should be selling them funeral plans to REALLY capitalise , now thats capitalism
@vision646:
That's a strange thing to say.
@recklessinoz:
Conjecture
@Boognish:
If I'm not mistaken, it's similar to the concept of a rail gun but works quite different.
"Railguns use two sliding contacts that permit a large electric current to pass through the projectile. This current interacts with the strong magnetic fields generated by the rails and this accelerates the projectile. The U.S. Navy has tested a railgun that accelerates a 7 pound bullet to the speed of seven times the speed of sound."
I believe with MAHEM the magnetic field is created within the projectile itself. Making it kind of like a mini-mobile "rail gun." Though probably closer to a coilgun.
That's just a guess though...
@Rabid Penguin:"Are you saying every war is fought for oil? Hitler didn't start WWII for oil, and the USA didn't enter WWII for oil either. We didn't fight the Civil War for oil. We didn't fight the revolutionary war for oil either."
Japan was in WWII for oil. Hitler is another story.
Aside from that little point, you're right and the liberal pussies would either be Hitlers bitch or dead if they didn't have realists to protect them.
I <3 Railguns
It's like a blob of caustic puss squirted through the blocked orifice of a red hot swollen nose zit.
Yeah, it's just like that.
@MrBlahBlah: Atleast this one won't use depleted uranium to contaminate the target's region for generations to come.
@Rabid Penguin: You are a fucking moron.
@Rabid Penguin: "There will never be "peace" as long as evil exists in this world." ??? well everyone in the world thinks someone is evil because of something they do and no one thinks exactly the same. you dont have to fight for freedom, you just have to not piss anyone else off, and no one will bug you. the reason so many people have a problem with the US isnt because they are free and good people, its because the US tries to force their "freedom" on other people. Have you ever lived in one of these freedom starved places? i read an article where an american family moved to a country where freedom was very limited, and after a month or so to adjust they loved it because they felt safe and were happy. crime rates were insanely low, and as long as you didnt do anything illegal you had a great life. im not saying this is better, but given total freedom, the world would be a shit hole, so maybe theres more than one way to be happy and if everyone could just accept different things work for different people then there wouldnt be so much war.
(sorry this was so long i kinda went off)
@bobbiac:
Yep
All this mind power and not one of you got the point! Its a weapon that was thot of by one of the most avant garde scientists of his time! Like Asimov, he was a brilliant Science Fact writer as well. This guy wrote one of the best Sci-Fi stories ever (2001 and sequels). Dont any of you read books or check them out from the library? Maybe you are too busy still looking at Mom and Dad's porn to notice the real significance of this weapon and the true impact of Clarke's ideas on our lives. What shocks me is that none of you even got this. The article even mentions his name! get with it!
And just when I was starting to believe there mite be intelligence in this message board, but alas, not. WTF people, you dont get the real point here and your comments are sometimes so far offbase as to be ludicrous. Arthur C. Clarke is the point here....nobody reads anymore. His ideas were mindnumbingly unique for his day. Brilliant as a military and Scientific researcher, he used his Scientific mind to write some of the best Sci-Fi ever. Get with it guys....I dont share comments often, but this one begged to be shared! What did you guys read before you found mommy and daddy's porn? Idiots!!!!
@vision646: Then we might aswell kill half the populations of china and india.
We truly are our worst enemies.
anyway...
Isnt this similar to the EM Gun in the movie ERASER? Sounds interesting.
@Sublimenaltouches:
#
Seriously,
LEARN HOW TO FUCKING SPELL DUMBASS!
impresive = impressive
pasivism = pacifism
curtan = curtain
necesary = necessary
malitia = militia
PS Freedom isn't free you fuck nut... I don't know where you live but I can guarantee that whatever liberties you have, they weren't simply GIVEN to you.
FUCKING IDIOT
Pray for Peace....but get a gun anyway. Just in case.
@GulfVetSAF: i agree 100% and people dont realize that freedom they enjoy took a shitload of blood to obtain
@Curves: gotta love that, but it's "but buy a BIG gun anyway", :)
@soulfinger: Whaaaambulance!
Acronym Police here.
Magneto Hydrodynamic Explosive Munition ==> MaHEM, not MAHEM.
Got it, DARPA?
Now back to stuff...