These 9 Weapons Of Destruction Look Terrifying, But They're Actually Huge Duds
April 10th, 2015
You’d think it would be easy to design a weapon of war. Just make a thing that goes boom! Right?
Wrong. A person could accidentally make a weapon so dangerous, it inflicts more damage on the one who wields it than it does their enemies. Here are some weapons that sound like they are deadly, but really just proved to be double-edged swords for those who wielded them.
1. The Nock Volley gun
This was invented in 1779 and looks like a steampunk wet dream. It fires from seven barrels all at once. The problem was that, once fired, the recoil would basically break the shooter’s arms.
2. The New Zealand Bob Hemple tank
Yes, this looks like a cartoon death machine, but it’s actually not so scary. It’s insanely top heavy and can’t change gears without stopping.
3. Nuclear powered aircraft
During the Cold War, both the Americans and the Soviets experimented with nuclear-powered aircraft. While this seemed like a good idea because the planes never had to land, there was the matter of the super-dangerous nuclear reactors flying around in the skies.
4. Fireships
These are pretty self explanatory. Catch a boat on fire and then float it at enemy ships in hopes that their ship will catch ablaze. It may have defeated the Spanish Armada, but it’s a risky move. Fire doesn’t always know which side it’s fighting for.
5. The Lun Ekranoplan
This massive seaplane could fly, but it could also carry its missiles across water. The problem is it could do absolutely nothing against big waves.
6. The Ohka
These were airplanes designed specifically for the Japanese kamikaze fighters. The plane was built with only one flight in mind (a final one). Unfortunately, it often caught on fire before hitting its target.
7. The Maus tank
This tank was the Nazi’s burly anti-tank gun with the additional armament of a grenade launcher and a flamethrower. It also was impossible to turn and crazy expensive to build and maintain.
8. The Polyus spacecraft
This project was proposed by the Soviets. It was supposed to be the first weapon in space – a satellite, filled with missiles aimed at the U.S. Luckily, the guidance system was poor and the project failed.
9. Star Wars program
In reaction to the Soviet’s space missiles, Ronald Reagan created this program, which decidedly had nothing to do with Jedi. The Gipper proposed a system of ground and space missiles that would nullify Soviet threat, but unfortunately, the science just wasn’t there yet.
War is hell…but bringing these weapons into your army isn’t going to help much.
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