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Apparently the Marines are rather keen on acquiring a new weapon…

According to the Marines\’ laser request, obtained by DANGER ROOM, this so-called Precision Airborne Standoff Directed Energy Weapon (PASDEW) wouldn\’t just be an improved killed machine. It would also have particularly devastating psychological effects. Such weapons, when used against people, \”can be compared to long range blow torches or precision flame throwers, with corresponding psychological advantages for [Coalition Forces] CF.\”

In other words, the lasers don\’t just kill people, but they kill people in really gruesome, frightening ways — particularly because the beam from such weapons, like the Advanced Tactical Laser, is invisible to the human eye. That means you could have three guys standing around, and one of them suddenly burst into flames.

I believe Allahpundit summed it up best with \”In the annals of awesomeness, this shall be the standard against which all future awesomeness is measured\”.

Marine Snipers are already famous for their \”one-shot, one-kill\” takedowns from approximately 135622 miles away (give or take 135620 miles), and the psychological effect that has. One second you\’re talking with your buddy about how to kill the infidels, the next second he has no head. Scary right?? Now multiple that by the fact that he bursts into flames without so much as the presence of a match.

It might even have the added bonus of being mistaken for divine intervention. I mean even the dumbest terrorist can understand a bullet being fired from a distance. However, if their buddy suddenly bursts into flames for no particular reason, it\’s another story. Perhaps he might question if his God really wants him to blow up a school bus of kids in exchange for 72 virgins, and that perhaps it might be all the more appealing to said God if he just went home and played a nice game of Scrabble instead.

Now if you read the article, this technology appears to be on fairly shakey ground for the foreseeable future. Although with time and effort, who knows what might be possible. I suspect it could be done, and that miniaturization and power consumption are the key factors holding this one back.

You gotta hand it to the Marines though, they think big. Some branches just ask for new vehicles, or improved training. The USMC asks for the friggin\’ DeathStar.

[H/T : HotAir]