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Invisible beam tops list of nonlethal weapons
Death Ray ready for field testing.By Greg Gordon -- Sacramento Bee EFL. WASHINGTON - Test subjects canât see the invisible beam from the Pentagonâs new, Star Trek-like weapon, but no one has withstood the pain it produces for more than three seconds. People who volunteered to stand in front of the directed energy beam say they felt as if they were on fire. When they stepped aside, the pain disappeared instantly. The long-range column of millimeter-wave energy is known as the "Active Denial System" for its ability to prevent an aggressor from advancing. Senior military officials, who plan to deliver the device for troop evaluation this fall, say years of testing has produced no sign it will lead to health effects beyond perhaps causing skin to temporarily redden. Marine Col. David Karcher, who heads the Pentagonâs Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, says the energy beam is aimed at helping troops and police in confusing situations by offering options "between bullets and a bullhorn." . . . Karcher and other military officials are trying to alleviate fears that the device might be misused to harm civilians or converted into a torture machine that leaves no marks. Remember the "agony booth" from the original Star Trek? Introduction of such a device in either noncombat or wartime situations could raise thorny questions: Would it be acceptable to inflict so much pain on unruly protesters? Depends who they are. How would such a weapon be viewed if used on crowds in Third World countries? "Donât mess with the Americans or youâll get hurt." Would it violate international humanitarian principles if used in battle? "Of course it would. Under âinternational law,â it would be much more humane to shoot people dead than to use that thing on them." DUH! Might it be used secretly during interrogations to torture suspected terrorists into cooperating? He asks that like itâs a bad thing. Eleven years in the making at a cost of more than $50 million, the Active Denial System is still years from deployment. It weighs about 4 tons and consists largely of a big dish and antenna that are mounted on a Humvee multipurpose vehicle. . . . Once an operator has aimed the antenna using a scope, the press of a button sends out a column of millimeter-wave, electromagnetic energy at the speed of light. Pentagon officials say that the weaponâs exact reach and its column size are classified, but that it can extend beyond the 550-meter effective range of bullets. Its intensity is the same at any distance. Ready for field trials. Coming soon to a theatre of war near you. Posted by: Mike 2004-06-09 |
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