#2036: ScareFlare

Imagine a rifle which allows an infantryman to direct the fire of very large calibre weapons on board eg helicopters and tanks.

Most grunts or squaddies have difficulty with aiming their weapons precisely enough to harm the enemy at anything beyond the normal ‘pray and spray range.’

Today’s invention is a system which allows a soldier, possibly with sniper training, to fire a device towards an opposition installation. This would be like a very large flare, designed to be clearly visible to the people on the receiving end.

Instead of exploding, it would communicate a message. If the targetted troops hadn’t surrendered within say five seconds, a shell would automatically be fired at the location indicated by a transmitter on the flare.

This would encourage even experienced soldiers to discontinue the conflict in the face of such unequal odds -and thus save some lives.