10 Top Secret Weapons You've Never Heard Of

7. The Pulsed Energy Projectile Gun

This involves the creation of a pulsed infrared laser that reacts with the surface of a target to cause the appearance of a tiny amount of explosive plasma and a corresponding pressure wave, knocking the target off his feet. There would also be corresponding electromagnetic radiation generated as a side effect, which would rub the nerve cells the wrong way, causing severe pain.

The PEP would be intended to be effective over a distance of roughly 2km, and given the limitations of current laser technology, would probably be mounted on a vehicle to begin with. As you can see, that could be a fairly impressive non-lethal weapon, should design flaws ever be overcome - like a taser on steroids.

However, lethal variants are just as likely to be researched and developed, because war. The current rumour is that the non-lethal variant on the weapon is on hold, no longer being developed in the US, because the research indicated that the waveform necessary to render the weapon non-lethal wasn't practical to create. That's a long-winded, bureaucratic way of saying that it didn't work after all. However, an option for an anti-drone variation on the PEP theme is still being budgeted for. It'€™s not called the military-industrial complex for nothing.