The Ray Gun: Then and Now

Call it what you will, the ray gun has been a staple of science fiction films and TV shows since the genre first began. Modern technology is finally turning this vision into a reality -- though handheld models may remain fantasy. (Fox)

One of the earliest examples of a ray gun is the heat ray featured in H. G. Wells' 1898 novel The War of the Worlds. The weapon was fired by Martian tripods for devastating effect. (Wikimedia Commons)

Called THEL for short, this laser was developed in the late 90s for the military. Known as the Nautilus laser system, it proved effective at shooting down rockets: In 2000 and 2001, THEL shot down 28 Katyusha artillery rockets and 5 artillery shells. (Wikimedia Commons)

Buck Rogers, originally based on two short stories by Philip Francis Nowlan, was an American science fiction comic strip credited with bringing into popular media the concept of space exploration -- along with other futuristic ideas such as the ray gun. (Courrier Press)

The Buck Rogers XZ-38 Disintegrator Pistol was the first actual "ray gun" toy. It was a 10-inch pop gun topped with a flint-and-striker sparkler -- a mechanism not unlike that used in cigarette lighters. (Hake's)

Green laser pointers are widely used as a means of non-deadly force; the Marines call them "occular interruption devices." The LA-9/P made by B.E. Meyers is effective at "interrupting" from over 2 miles away through a 250-milliwatt beam. While such devices most closely resemble the fantasies of science fiction because of their portable nature, they lack a strong-enough energy source to realize the potential of the laser. The LA-9/P for instance has 1/4,000 the strength of the smallest anti-aircraft lasers.

Flash Gordon was a science fiction adventure comic star established in 1934 to compete with the success of Buck Rogers. He was also a regular user of various ray guns. A live action television series aired in the 50s, running for 39 episodes and starring Steve Holland. (Cineleet)

Modern ray guns like the Personnel Halting and Stimulation Resopnse or PHaSR don't always come in classic forms or functions. Known as a laser dazzler, this weapon incorporates two different lasers: one to startle, the other to heat up the skin causing a "repel effect." (Air Force Research Laboratory)

Soon after the first laser was demonstrated -- by Hughes Research in 1960 -- such devices became briefly fashionable as a directed-energy weapon for science fiction stories such as Star Trek.In the series these ray guns were known as "phasers." (Paramount)

Beoing has been testing out a new anti-aircraft strategy by mounting 1-kW lasers on the back of Humvees. The weapon shoots a beam just a few centimeters in diameter burning a hole through artillery and mortar rounds -- and detonating them instantly. (Boeing)

In the 1970s, Star Wars introduced its own form of ray guns in handheld "blasters" and "pulse rifles" -- as well as the light saber, a laser sword. Flying spacecraft were also equipped with ray guns as they battled it out in space. (20th Century Fox)

Boeing has developed its own aircraft-based laser too: the YAL-1 Airborne Laser Testbed weapons system: a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified Boeing 747. Its primary function is to destroy tactical ballistic missiles. (Boeing)

The heart of the system is the COIL, comprising six interconnected modules, each as large as an SUV weighing about 6,500 pounds. The U. S. Airforce says the aircraft holds the world's largest turret assembly. (Boeing)

Boeing is heavily invested in lasers -- the cornerstone of a high-priority U.S. Army project, called the High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL-TD), touted as the future of American war, which will enable the military to fight at the speed of light. Boeing recently began work on a military truck built by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.oshkoshdefense.com/">Oshkosh Defense</a> that will carry its laser beam control system into battle. <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/01/12/army-building-ultra-high-power-laser-guns/">Read more</a> (Boeing)