Interesting types of firearms. The strangest deadly weapon in the history of mankind. Shooting cane of King Henry VIII

The entire history of earthly civilization is marked by wars. At all stages of development, man has created and continues to create weapons. Some samples are striking in their characteristics, capabilities and harsh aesthetics, while some seem completely ridiculous. It is simply impossible to describe all the most unusual weapons ever invented by man. Firstly, everyone has their own ideas about normality and strangeness, and secondly, progress does not stand still, and what until recently seemed like a formidable death machine can be perceived by subsequent generations as a pile of useless iron.

What is a common weapon?

Before discussing the most unusual weapons, let's mention what the master gunsmiths and soldiers put forward. The main ones are reliability, striking power, safety for the shooter. If a we are talking about wearable weapons, weight and dimensions are important. Depending on the type, such parameters as effective range, radius of destruction, rate of fire, flight speed of the ammunition, convenience and ease of loading, number of crew and crew are evaluated.

Modern weapons enterprises, especially those working for the state defense industry, strive not only to develop the best performance characteristics, but also to reduce production costs.

Therefore, among professionals, weapons are either too heavy and large for modest characteristics, or prohibitively expensive to manufacture and maintain, or unsuitable for real combat missions for various reasons.

heavy equipment

heyday of the era unusual weapon there have always been times of war. The need for new non-standard solutions, the austerity regime, limited time frames, the lack of the necessary, partially compensated by improvised material and unsuitable trophies - these are often the main motivators.

During World War II, many fundamentally new types of weapons were urgently created. The best minds on both sides of the front worked diligently in this direction. It is difficult to name the most unusual, but some specimens certainly deserve attention.

The German Dora strikes with its power with a mass of 1250 tons and a height of 11.5 m. groups. But "Dora" could fire a projectile weighing from 4.8 to 7 tons! She had to make war only twice: in Warsaw (1942) and near Sevastopol (1944). The Wehrmacht managed to create two samples and about a thousand shells.

Even a huge damaging effect could not compensate for all the difficulties and costs. Moreover, self-propelled guns, MLRS and aviation cope with such tasks.

It can be recognized as strange american tank Chrysler, developed in the 50s. True, the matter did not go beyond the prototype. As conceived by the developers, the Chrysler was supposed to float and even shoot directly from the water, and its work was based on the use of an atomic engine. The huge cast egg-shaped body looks more funny than menacing.

Soviet gunsmiths also showed creativity. It is worth mentioning the tank-aircraft, the aircraft carrier and the tractor-tank. None of these entered mass production, but armored tractors had to go through baptism of fire all in the same World War II.

Mortars and mines

A rather formidable, albeit cumbersome, weapon of the German army was the Goliath, a self-propelled mine. The Goliath had weak armor, the control wire was not protected at all, and maximum speed did not even reach 10 km / h. At the same time, production required considerable costs. It was risky to drive a bulky self-propelled gun, and the enemy’s engineering thought also sometimes reached the incredible.

At least a mortar-shovel! The curb weight of the gun reached only one and a half kg, and a 37-caliber projectile fired from it could cover a distance of 250 m.

Having finished shooting, the artilleryman could easily turn the device into an ordinary soldier's shovel. AT airborne troops this weapon was used until the end of the war. Perhaps the mortar-shovel was the cause scary legends about Russian paratroopers?

Small arms of past eras and our days

The 4-barreled duck-footed revolver is not the only one of its kind. Listing the most unusual weapons, one cannot deprive attention of the multi-barreled inventions common in XVII-XIX centuries. But we have to admit, the look of such pistols and revolvers is awesome.

To many, the Belgian FN-F2000 submachine gun seems rather strange, having excellent shooting performance, but for some reason also distinguished by remarkable aerodynamics. A person who is accustomed to an AK or M-16, looking at it, will not immediately understand how to put it in the correct position for firing.

The old comfrey will certainly be perplexed and such a common among mafia groups Latin America a phenomenon like designer AKs. Covered with inlay, rich carving and even gilding, weapons in that environment are still an indicator of status today. However, this does not detract from its combat characteristics.

The experience of gunsmiths of the past inspires today's engineers. But modern designers are trying to increase the number of ammunition, not barrels. There are many examples of this: repeating shotguns, the ammunition supply system for the Scorpion PC, twin and spiral drums.

Non-lethal weapons of law enforcement

The most unusual weapons can be found not only on the battlefields. Law enforcement officers also sometimes resort to non-standard solutions. For example, the Israeli development "Thunder Generator". The device is designed to disperse demonstrations and suppress the enemy. It strikes at a distance of up to 150 meters without harming health. However, the calculation at the time of the shot also has a hard time. Even weirder is the Vomit Pistol, which sends out pulses and pulsating beams. The result of exposure is general weakness, nausea and even vomiting.

Shooting pens and other items

Not all weapons look like weapons. Many items fall into this category. The most unusual weapons, disguised as stationery, canes, rings, buckles and other items, are now used by special services.

Melee weapons: swords, sabers

Sunny India gave the world not only the "Kama Sutra" and yoga, but also many examples of amazing weapons. For example, urumi has no analogues in the world. This sword of thin sharp steel can be girded. In battle, the sword belt is quite formidable.

From there, the pata comes from - a sword with a protective glove attached to the guard.

Knives and claws

The most from Japan is tekko kagi, which means "tiger claws" in translation. It may seem that the shape is too unusual for a weapon, and this item is more like a prop for a superhero movie. How can you not remember Wolverine? But with the help of tekko kagi, the warrior of the Land of the Rising Sun could easily tear the flesh of the enemy into shreds and even reflect sword blows. By the way, the analogue of metal claws was also familiar to the ancient kshatriyas.

We can say that the Qatar, which combines the features of brass knuckles and a knife, and even with a blade that can be extended into three parts, is the most unusual edged weapon. But in modern world many of its counterparts. A specialist in knife combat is unlikely to take such weapons seriously, but among street gangs, a brass knuckles knife is common.

Some ancient peoples had an even more unusual knife worn on the finger. It was used not only in fights (to damage the eyes and neck), but also in everyday life.

Conclusion

As you can see, a person was always ready to go quite far in an attempt to arm himself better than a potential enemy. Most strange weapon we see among the samples from the superpowers with huge military budgets, and among non-contact savage tribes.

And I would like to end our review with the words of Mikhail Kalashnikov. The brilliant Soviet designer has repeatedly mentioned that it is not the weapon that kills - it is only a tool.

Men's fun!

A good whiskey, a Cuban cigar and a sports car in the garage are not paramount, but very important things in the life of any man. In some countries, the list is also supplemented by exclusive unusual weapons. And the more unusual, the better. More recently, the first "smart" pistol appeared on the market, shooting only in the hands of the owner. This prompted us to think about other types of strange, almost collectible weapons.

smart pistol

Armatix IP1

The safety of firearms is no small matter, especially in a country where guns are freely available. New gun Armatix iP1 is designed to solve just this problem: the weapon fires only when it is next to a special watch (which, by the way, is sold separately).

The company that makes the smart gun uses a special RFID chip inside the watch. The Armatix iP1 is a small 0.22 caliber weapon that is currently only available in California.

Tri-barrel gun

Triple Threats

The Italian manufactory Chiappa has long and firmly established itself in the arms market: in certain circles, the name sounds as common as Beretta. New development Italian gunsmiths - a three-barreled shotgun, has a truly lethal power.

Triple Threat surprises with its rate of fire: all three shots can be fired almost simultaneously. It is not clear what exactly the Chiappa engineers were preparing their brainchild for, however, the shotgun, among other things, has a pistol butt.

twin colt

AF2011-A1

Recently, the world's first automatic pistol with two barrels appeared on sale. In AF2011-A1 (such a pleasant name was given to this Über-gun), it is difficult to recognize legendary Colt 1911, on the basis of which the model is built.

The AF2011-A1 is equipped with two magazines, each with 16 .45 caliber rounds. The creators claim that each of these metal pranksters is able to knock down a bull - do not believe it, try it yourself.

bow slingshot

Falcon Slingbow

This weapon looks like a real embodiment of any boy's childhood dream. Maybe the creator of the Falcon Slingbow was really inspired by this: a formidable weapon looks like a mutated slingshot that shoots arrows.

Despite all the childish allusions, the weapon turned out to be very formidable. By default, the Falcon Slingbow comes with an elastic band with 18 kg of tension - such an accelerating moment is enough for successful hunting and for shooting at a target.

Pocket Shotgun

Heizer Defense PS1

The creators of the shotgun have simplified the mechanism to the limit - so that any civilian can easily operate it. Actually, based on these buyers, the Heizer Defense PS1 was created: an effective, lethal melee weapon. Externally, the gun looks like an ordinary pistol, and a small caliber.

There are a couple of shortcomings: the need to reload after each shot and only two cartridges in the clip.

Humans have been trying to kill each other since time immemorial, and have developed many clever and downright stupid ways to achieve this goal. We present to your attention a list of the most ridiculous and strange military weapons in the world.

Dogs are commonly used in war for minesweeping, guarding, sabotage, searching for the wounded, and a variety of other tasks. They also inspired the US military to build the Big Dog, a robotic creature created by engineers at Boston Dynamics. As conceived by the creators, this massive robot was supposed to save the strongest army from the need to carry equipment (up to 110 kg) manually in those areas where conventional transport cannot be used.

However, in 2015, the military canceled the robot dog project, explaining that its size and the noise created when walking would betray the position of the soldiers.

Thor must be sad - the military stole his thunder and lightning. Engineers at the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey have found a way to harness the power of lightning and have designed a weapon that fires lightning along laser beams. This weapon was called "laser-induced plasma channel". However, the military preferred a shorter and more capacious definition - "laser plasma gun".

A laser beam of high intensity and energy "rips off" electrons from air molecules and focuses the lightning, which travels along a straight and narrow path. So it can be accurately aimed at the target. So far, such a plasma channel remains stable only a short time and there is a danger that the energy may strike those who use it.

A research project called Project Pigeon involved the creation of a "pigeon bomb". The American behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner taught birds to peck at a target on a screen in front of them. Thus, they directed the rocket to the desired object.

The program was revised in 1944 and then revived in 1948 under the name Project Orcon, but eventually the new electronic systems guidance proved to be more valuable than live birds. So now only an exhibition at the American History Museum in Washington DC reminds of this strange and unusual weapon.

During World War II, the Corps marines United States came up with an ambitious idea: to use bats like kamikaze bombers. How to do it? Very simple: attach explosives to bats and train them to use echolocation to find a target. The military used thousands of bats in experiments but eventually abandoned the idea because atomic bomb seemed like a much more promising project.

It would seem, how can such lovely marine mammals get into the top 10 most unusual weapons? However, humans have adapted the intelligent and easily trained dolphins for various military tasks, such as searching for underwater mines, enemy submariners and sunken objects. This was done both in the USSR, in the research center in Sevastopol, and in the USA, in San Diego.

Trained dolphins and sea ​​lions were used by the Americans during the Gulf War, and in Russia the combat dolphin training program was curtailed in the 90s. However, in 2014, the Russian Navy took on the allowance of the Crimean dolphins - the former Ukrainian "legacy". And in 2016, an order for the purchase of 5 dolphins for the Russian Ministry of Defense appeared on the public procurement website. So, perhaps, while you are reading this article, fighting dolphins ply the Black Sea.

In the midst of cold war the British developed a 7-ton nuclear weapon called "Blue Peacock". It was a huge steel cylinder with a plutonium core and a chemical detonating explosive inside. Also in the bomb was a very advanced electronic filling for that time.

A dozen of these massive underground nuclear weapons were planned to be placed in Germany and detonated if the USSR decided to invade from the east. One problem: the ground freezes in winter, so the electronic equipment needed to launch the Blue Peacock may malfunction. To overcome this difficulty, various ideas have been put forward, including the most absurd ones: from wrapping the bomb in fiberglass "blankets" to placing live chickens in the bomb with a supply of food and water necessary to survive for a week. The heat generated by the chickens will prevent the electronics from freezing. Fortunately, the British decided to reconsider their plan due to the risk of radioactive fallout, and in doing so, saved many chickens from an unenviable fate.

Weapons do not always injure the body; sometimes it can affect the mind. In 1950 the Central intelligence agency USA explored combat use psychoactive substances such as LSD. One type of "non-lethal" weapon developed by the CIA was a cluster bomb filled with the hallucinogen B-Zet (quinuclidyl-3-benzilate). People involved in experiments with this substance reported that they had strange dreams, as well as prolonged visual and emotional hallucinations, inexplicable feelings of anxiety and headaches. However, the effect of B-Z on the psyche was not predictably reliable, and the program for its use was curtailed.

During World War II, the British did not have enough steel to build ships. And the enterprising Britons conceived the idea of ​​building an ice killing machine: a massive aircraft carrier that would be essentially a fortified iceberg. Initially, it was planned to “cut down” the tip of the iceberg, attach engines, communication systems to it and send it to the place of military operations with several aircraft on board.

Then the project, called "Habakkuk", was transformed into something more. It was decided to take a small amount of wood pulp, mix it with water ice, to get a structure that would melt not for days, but for months, had a resistance similar to concrete and was not too brittle. This material was created by the English engineer Geoffrey Pike and was called pykrete. From pykrete it was proposed to create an aircraft carrier with a length of 610 m, a width of 92 m and a displacement of 1.8 million tons. It could take up to 200 aircraft.

The British and the Canadians who joined the project created a prototype ship from pykrete, and its tests were successful. However, then the military calculated the monetary and labor costs for the creation of a full-fledged aircraft carrier, and the Khabakkuk was finished. Otherwise, almost all Canadian forests would have been exhausted into sawdust for giant ships.

In 2005, the Pentagon confirmed that the US military was once interested in building chemical weapons, which could make enemy soldiers sexually irresistible...to each other. In 1994, the US Air Force Laboratory received $7.5 million to develop weapons that contained a hormone naturally present in the body (in small amounts). If enemy soldiers inhaled it, they would feel an irresistible attraction to men. In general, the slogan "make love, not war" could be realized on the battlefield if the tests did not show that not all soldiers lose their heads with desire. Yes, and gay activists were outraged by the idea that homosexuals have less fighting capacity than heterosexuals.

In the first place in the ranking of the most amazing weapons is a tool that does not kill, but can hurt you, really hurt. The US military has developed a non-lethal weapon called the Active Throwback System. These are powerful heat rays that heat the tissues of the human body, creating a painful burn. The purpose of creating such a heat gun is to keep suspicious people away from military bases or other important objects, as well as disperse mass gatherings of people. So far, the installation for "rays of pain" is mounted only on vehicles, but the military said they hope to shrink their "brainchild".

Some of our greatest inventions have stood out in the military realm. Here is a list of eccentric weapons invented by completely confused military inventors.

Bomb Animals

Today's animal welfare organizations would protest against this use of animals in war, but some states during World War II did. The US has tried using bats with tiny firebombs. The British tried to use dead rats with explosives inside. They thought that when the Germans threw away their containers of coal, the rats would explode. In the USSR, "anti-tank" dogs were trained to think that there was food under the tanks.


sword destroyer

This weapon comes from the Middle Ages. It was a long, strong dagger with teeth carved on one side. During the battle, the knight grabbed the enemy's sword in one of the slots and broke or knocked it out with a quick movement.

Manketcher

The manketcher was a grip-like tip mounted on a shaft, distinguished by flexible “horns” studded with spikes. It was designed to pull a man off a horse. He played leading role in the medieval tradition of capturing a penis royal family or an aristocrat for the sake of ransom, as well as in order to catch dangerous criminals.


Shotgun Pakla

This weapon is considered the first mechanical gun. It was an ordinary single-barreled flintlock gun placed on a tripod, but with an 11-round drum-cylinder. This gun was designed for use on a ship to fire on boarding parties and could fire 63 shots in 7 minutes. But what made this weapon so unusual was that it used two types of bullets at once: spherical against Christian enemies, and cubic against Muslims. Cubic bullets were considered more painful and, according to the inventor Paklu, could convince Muslims high development Christian civilization.


Aircraft carrier

Often included in some novels, TV shows and movies. Aircraft carriers were part of the collective imagination of military society. Some imagined them as a zeppelin with an airplane on top. But after the disaster with the Hinderburg zeppelin, all plans to build such types of ships were canceled. Later attempts included bombers and Boeing 747s.


Shield with lantern

It was created during the Renaissance. It was not only a means of protection, but also a weapon. It was a small round shield, to which a gauntlet with several blades was attached, pikes and a lantern were located in the center of the shield. The lanterns were covered with a leather flap, which was then removed to confuse the enemy. But it was not only military weapon. This shield was also used by swordsmen or as protection against criminals on dark city streets.


Habbakook project

During World War II, metal was considered a valuable commodity. Due to German submarines, the forces of the alliance were losing a large number supply ships. Therefore, the British government planned to build the largest aircraft carrier from pykrete (a frozen mixture of water and sawdust). After lengthy development, it was proposed to build an aircraft carrier with a length of 610 m, a width of 92 m, a height of 61 m and a displacement of 1.8 million tons, which would be capable of receiving up to 200 fighters. However, before a single such ship could be built, the war came to an end, and there was no longer a need to build aircraft carriers from pykrete.


Claw of Archimedes

The claw of Archimedes was designed in the 3rd century AD. to defend the city walls of Syracuse from Roman invaders. The Talon was a giant crane with large grappling hooks. When a Roman ship came close to the walls, the hooks grabbed it and lifted it out of the water. And then the ship was released back into the water so that it capsized. This invention was so carefully hidden that the Romans thought they were fighting the gods.


Tornado Cannon

The tornado cannon was built in Germany during World War II to create artificial tornadoes. Such a full-size cannon was constructed, but it could not create tornadoes on high altitude so the project was closed.


gay bombshell

This is a non-lethal bomb that, when detonated, released a strong aphrodisiac that seemed to cause intense sexual arousal in enemy soldiers, and, ideally, stimulated homosexual behavior, making them more vulnerable. In October 2007, the "gay bomb" received " Ig Nobel Prize of the world”, awarded for the most dubious achievements in science and technology. According to the organizers, none of those invited by the US Air Force came to the award ceremony.

With the invention of gunpowder fighting became much larger and bloodier. Now powerful armor was no longer a guarantee of the knight's safety, so the whole concept of protection and weapons has changed radically. But the firearm was also improved, and sometimes extremely interesting and in an unusual way. Just such unusual firearms and dedicated to today's selection.

Gunshot Cutlery

Yes. Exactly. Spoons, forks and knives in which single-shot 6mm flintlock pistols are built. It was created in the eighteenth century in Germany. Looks like the local landsknechts were unbearable to feel unprotected during the meal. And so eat the fish, and shoot the enemy. But the history is silent about the number of accidental victims during meals.

Shield with built-in gun

This unusual firearm dates from the 1540s. Made in Italy, used in England. Dozens of such shields were mentioned in the warehouse lists of the Tower. The pistol was matchlocked, single-shot and loaded from the breech. The shooter could fire one, maximum two shots before the shield had to be used for its intended purpose.

gun knife

It’s not even clear what idea is primary - to attach to the muzzle of a gun cutting edge or drill a channel for shooting in the knife handle. The fact remains that a multifunctional weapon was obtained that could be used both in close combat and in long-range combat. And it doesn’t matter that this is a maximum of a couple of shots - the enemy certainly does not expect that they will start shooting at him FROM THE KNIFE

giant guns

This was widely used in nineteenth and early twentieth century England. It was almost impossible to shoot from such a “thing” alone, and to hold it in your hands was also impossible. I'm talking about returns in general. And this was necessary in order to kill two birds with one stone, or rather, a small flock of ducks, since the gun was loaded with a huge charge of shot. As for me - cheating. And it is very good that the popularity of such guns has already ended.

brass knuckles pistol

At the end of the 18th century, the city streets were very restless. Therefore, this was created, combining the functions of brass knuckles, a multi-shot pistol and a dagger. For a street fight, this is the perfect solution, because they can do anything. And yes, this thing was used not only by bandits, but also by ordinary citizens in self-defense. Eh, it was a good time - self-defense laws were MUCH simpler ...

shooting ax

Shooting axes… Damn it, regular shooting axes. You can chop enemies, you can chop wood, you can hunt both wild animals and those enemies that you didn’t have time to cut down ... It was widely used in Germany at the end of the fifteenth century. Seriously, there were different varieties of it. unusual firearms, starting from something like reeds, ending with small assault hatchets. This is not a bayonet-knife for you. This is for the really tough guys.

Disposable gun

An absolutely brilliant idea. Simplify the design to the limit, use cheap aluminum instead of steel, make the barrel smooth, load in advance and transfer to the needs of the resistance to the Nazi invaders during the Second World War. The cost of this pistol was less than two bucks, the range of aimed fire was less than 10 meters, but it was quite possible to kill someone. The weapon is small, compact, inconspicuous and very light - what else is needed for a partisan?

Curved weapon

Yes. With these guns, “barrel bending” is a completely official diagnosis. And no, this does not prevent them from shooting normally. A great way to fire from a trench or around a corner without endangering the shooter. Here are just bent trunks - they are not very convenient to use, they are very demanding on the quality of workmanship and operation, therefore Soviet designers, unlike the Nazis, solved the problem by creating a periscope gun with a system of mirrors. It doesn't look as unusual, but it works much more effectively.