The U.S. military is working on a phaser-type weapon described by several sources as “Star Trek-style ray guns” to keep security threats from penetrating the Department of Energy’s nuclear sites, but the weapons, which will not be in use till 2008, are already being criticised as inadequate and unnecessary.
Space Daily reports that the 103 civilian nuclear plants in the United States could be used to harmlessly stun intruders at Department of Energy installations. “The DoE’s Office of Security and Safety Performance Assurance together with the Department of Defense, is ‘exploring the potential’ of directed-energy weapons based on millimeter-wave rays,” noted a report on concerns that the power plants are not sufficiently protected from the threat of a terrorist attack.
Source: TrekToday.com