For quite a while, now, we’ve heard promises that a microwave-like pain ray, the Active Denial System, was on its way to Iraq. But, so far, no Iraqis have been zapped. What gives?
According to Bloomberg News, “Raytheon’s new weapon, which is intended to repel hostile forces by creating a sensation of intense heat on skin, doesn’t act quickly enough to be effective, said U.S. Marine Corps Col. Wade Hall, who directs the program that would test the device.”
The device is scheduled to be installed on three Stryker transports headed to Iraq next year as part of a test of a range of new technologies [including sonic blasters and laser dazzlers]. If the problem isn’t fixed, the Pentagon will have to decide in the next few months whether to include it…
“The primary quality I’m concerned with is timeliness,” Hall said. “We need to get these capabilities to the war fighter as quickly and safely as possible. I set some pretty hard timelines. I don’t let things drag out for many months.”
(Big ups: Milblogs)
They don’t seem to be saying just how long is too long, but according to my earlier piece –
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18725095.600 – it takes two to three seconds.
This is a smaller, lighter version, so maybe the power level is down?
If you’re trying to cover a wide area then three seconds would be too much. By the time you’ve driven off one group the others are dismantling your antenna.
Yeah, where are the anti-government nutjobs now? They come out of the woodwork whenever the pain ray is mentioned.