The primer mix would be much easier to detonate than the powder. It is more unstable.

As far as new technology to detonate explosives, the devices to activate wireless detonators have been around awhile. They may have new technology to initiate detonators by generating a current in the wires to the detonators.

I don't think they have the technology to actually detonate powder or high explosives by themselves. They need electrically operated detonators inserted in the explosives to cause them explode.

Yeah, the electrical detonators are quite sensitive. You're taught not to touch the metal part of the detonators for claymores (probably out of fear of static from your bare hand arcing to the detonator).

Has anyone else thought of this...

Allegations that personnel planted exlosives in the World Trade Centre;
Space-based particle beam weapon;
Able to detonate explosives?

Brings a whole new angle to 9/11, doesn't it?

I hope this is true then all those nutty gun toting Americans sitting on top of a million rounds plus their MRE in their private bunkers are in the same boat as the Brits.

Cook off their ammo.... No guns

Crossbows my man. crossbows.

I think that the Russians, who helped us build the space station, would take issue with the idea of us putting a particle beam weapon on it.

If there was a weapon capable of detonating my ammunition, I'd be more concerned with it detonating my face. How exactly would it function? Ammo is generally stored in metal gun safes, in metal ammo tins, or in metal magazines. These things would all act as Faraday cages.

I never doubt the possibillity of anything, that would be blissfully accepting ignorince. This wepon truly would be a threat, I would suggest countering this stratagy by finding a way to get a hold of rubber bullets or even plastic bullets as used by undercover agents and air marshalls in planes. Even innovating wepons is a good solution, be sure to have plenty of body armor, maybe even, if you have connections, get a hold of a flame thrower. Be sure to use conventinal tactics against the enemy if you are alone and gurellia warfare if with a group of rebels.

Crossbows my man. crossbows.

good idea

Maybe the Police and Millitary will come to there senses.



[edit on 18-2-2009 by ShadowVersa]

I would come to my senses pretty quick if there was a crossbow bolt sticking out of my chest.

FYI, unless a person's wearing a ceramic plate under their body armor, an arrow or bolt will go right through a bullet proof vest.

While not impossible to set off ammo with microwaves, the cartridge case itself would act as a shield to the energy. It would reflect off.

Also, there isn't much water in gunpowder, which is what microwave energy needs to be absorbed.


So I think ammo is safe (from microwaves, anyway)

Originally posted by mazzroth
I just put a couple of homemade bullets in my microwave ( I was positive this is a load of garbage ) and wollah...nothing after 10 minutes.

Well Heath won the posthumous oscar...someone give this guy a posthumous Darwin.

I would think that any energy weapon with enough power to cook off ammunition or explosives would fry whatever people were in the area along with the explosives. It's not like somebody could drive down a street in a Humvee, sweeping a beam weapon across the houses and detonating all of the ammunition inside, thus disarming the populous. That would indiscriminately fry any people in the houses. You know what happens when you put a frog in the microwave? Froggie dies, fast and painfully.

Sweeping a beam weapon across a crowd of people to detonate their ammunition would burn the people before it set anything off. Such weapons would be large and expensive, and there likely won't be enough of them to matter anytime soon. Beam weapons are in development, but battery and capacitor technology just doesn't exist yet for them to be practical. Beam weapons require a lot of energy.

Lets say that that your ammo does explode despite the metal casing due to microwaves, all you would have to do is put you ammo in an old broken microwave. If a microwave can keep microwaves in, it can keep them out.

problem solved