US Military Unveils New Weapon: Heat Ray Gun

From ClickToNews

Active Denial System (Heat Ray Gun) mounted on a truck

[edit] Abstract

The United States Military released info, pics and video about its latest weapon: The Heat-Ray Gun, or the Active Denial System. Using focused millimetre wave beams, the weapon washes intense heat over a crowd or onto a specific target.

[edit] Details

The latest weapon in the US arsenol is being spun as a public relations tool - a device to help police in crowd control situations. The giant satellite dish looking emitter can be focused on a single individual and the intensity of the enengy - the heat of the beam - can be dialed up from a warm wash to a deadly blast. Using light beams, the weapon has an incredible range - much longer than that of traditional firearms - and an effect that occurs at the speed of light. It can be computer-target controlled and can maintain a constant beam as long as there is gas in the generator.

US Military test volunteers describe the effect of the beam as feeling like a light bulb is pressed agasint the skin, or that it feels like a slight burning - but the feelings and effects go away as soon as the beam was off. The beam is designed to only penetrate less than a millimetre into the skin, avoiding damage to all organs except the skin.

Critics of the new weapon worry if the weapon has been sufficiently tested against realistic crowds, as opposed to military volunteers in perfect health. For instance, what is the effect of the weapon on a pregnant women, or an elderly man with a heart condition? And because the beam is invisable, people in crowds will panic in attempts to get away from the unseen attack.

Currently the weapon is mounted on a truck, but the Military says it is working on a more portable version.