# New Marine Corp Weapon
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-marine-corp-weapon/331321
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [November 16, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-marine-corp-weapon/331321 "2005-11-16T16:06:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-marine-corp-weapon/331321/1 "2005-11-16T16:06:35Z")
Apparently, the marines are now using a new explosive warhead that doesn’t just blow you up, it asphyxiates you too:
[http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001944.html](http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001944.html)
It sounds like a small version of the Fuel-Air Munitions that airplanes have been dropping for years. The article linked to in “Wired” tries to make the weapon sound like it’s so much crueller than traditional weapons but is getting blown up by a big bomb worse than getting blown up by a hand grenade?
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### Author:  [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-marine-corp-weapon/331321/2 "2005-11-16T16:15:21Z")
OK, so that would be new and noteworthy why exactly? I presume finding new and easier ways to kill people is sort of what we are paying the Marines to do.
The thermobaric has been in use for some time. It is just another way to kill people. How it works is a simple detail.
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-marine-corp-weapon/331321/3 "2005-11-16T16:16:56Z")
The issues people have with the weapons seem to have more to do with collateral damage than how they kill people. These rockets can level a building; if the insurgents are on the 1st floor, and there’s an innocent family hiding on the 3rd floor, they’re all going to die if the marines level the building. So, not such a good idea to bring the building down.
OTOH, if there are no innocents in the building, these sound like the perfect weapon to use.
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### Author:  [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-marine-corp-weapon/331321/4 "2005-11-16T16:43:56Z")
Then we are agreed?
(Still, I bet that somebody is going to try it out next deer season.)
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### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-marine-corp-weapon/331321/5 "2005-11-16T17:20:14Z")
WOW! That’s just cool!
War is indeed hell. Perhaps if the locals would up and out the hostiles they would need to worry less about becoming collaterals. Whatever. In any event that is one wicked piece of ordnance!
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### Author:  [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-marine-corp-weapon/331321/6 "2005-11-16T21:17:40Z")
Now that is cool. It’s kind of like a BFG 9000.
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### Author:  [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-marine-corp-weapon/331321/7 "2005-11-16T21:29:28Z")
Meh, give me a **1920’s Style Death Ray** anytime.
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### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-marine-corp-weapon/331321/8 "2005-11-16T21:38:36Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#):
>
> Meh, give me a **1920’s Style Death Ray** anytime.
Death ray? Nuts. The war would be over if we just deployed a couple dozen Hot Goth Chicks.
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-marine-corp-weapon/331321/9 "2005-11-16T21:59:31Z")
Dear mods: Please add an _s_ to _Corps_ in the header. The _s_ is silent, not invisible.
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### Author:  [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-marine-corp-weapon/331321/10 "2005-11-16T21:59:56Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#):
>
> Death ray? Nuts. The war would be over if we just deployed a couple dozen Hot Goth Chicks.
Over in 20 minutes.
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### Author:  [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-marine-corp-weapon/331321/11 "2005-11-16T22:01:18Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#):
>
> Dear mods: Please add an _s_ to _Corps_ in the header. The _s_ is silent, not invisible.
Or add and ‘se’ and just see where this thread leads then.