The Russians have sustained the largest weapons development program ever launched by any nation, keeping it effectively hidden from prying Western eyes. Tom Bearden terms this program 'Fer-de-Lance' after the dreaded South American pit viper. The fer-de-lance is a deadly snake of great agility and lethal effect that often ambushes its hapless prey, striking unexpectedly and without warning. Its first sudden strike is usually lethal to its victim, which promptly expires in writhing agony. The title is appropriate since the Soviet development of scalar EM weapons was designed for the same purpose. 2nd edition (2002) - 176 new pages - 61 new figures - 475 pp. - soft cover.