Air Force Research Laboratory workers are busy at Kirtland AFB, N.M., developing the first portable, non-lethal deterrent weapon—called the Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response, or PHaSR. The weapon uses a two-wavelength laser system which temporarily impairs aggressors by “dazzling” bad guys so they can’t see the PHaSR-wielding troops. AFRL has delivered the first two prototypes to the Human Effectiveness Directorate at Brooks City-Base, Tex., and the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate at Quantico, Va., for testing.
A combined Navy and Air Force program is seeking to build a smaller version of a ubiquitous air-to-air missile that could give advanced aircraft, such as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, greater magazine depth in a high-end fight.