New Non-Lethal Energy Weapon Heats
Skin Source: United Press International February 26, 2001
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- The Marine Corps is
developing a non-lethal weapon that uses electromagnetic energy to
heat but not permanently burn human skin. The weapon could help
soldiers counter terrorism threats, control unruly crowds and defend
airfields and ships.
Experts confirmed it was the first time the military had
designed a so-called "directed energy weapon" for use against human
targets.
The weapon concentrates energy into a beam of
micro-millimeter waves that penetrate clothes to rapidly heat moisture
particles in the outermost layer of flesh without going deep enough to
damage organs. The device reportedly causes no permanent damage to the
body or to electronic devices such as
pacemakers.
Dubbed the Vehicle-Mounted Active Denial System, the
weapon was revealed in a story published first in the Marine Corps
Times Monday.
Officials at the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate in
Quantico, Va. reportedly planned to show the classified system to top
generals in April. But Monday's story scuttled those plans and sent
officials scrambling to contain a possible public relations fiasco.
A Marine spokesmen would not comment on the system,
saying only that subject specialists would be available for interviews
later this week.
Though detailed information about the weapon's design
remain classified, the story stated that the weapon would heat a
target's skin to approximately 130 degrees Fahrenheit in about two
seconds. Humans start to feel pain at 113 degrees. The report went on
to say that soldiers could fire the weapon from distances exceeding
750 meters (2,250 feet) from their target -- a range that would allow
them to remain outside the reach of most small arms fire. The weapon
could be mounted atop a military vehicle or on an aircraft.
Defense experts told United Press International the
Marines especially have sought new ways to non-lethally confront
large, hostile crowds. Among other things, the Department of Defense
has looked to lasers, teargas and rubber bullets for less-than-lethal
impact. But these have either proven
ineffective or have attracted consternation from human rights groups.
"Unlike the other three branches, the Marines often are
in situations where there are lots of innocent bystanders, where they
have to control an unruly mob," said John Pike, director of
GlobalSecurity.org, a non-profit policy research firm in Alexandria,
Va. "Tear gas and rubber bullets just have not been effective, so
they've want something more lethal than those and less lethal than an
M16. Whether they have found that here remains to be seen."
"One of the fears is that there will be a misapplication
of this kind of technology, particularly in terms of civilian use,"
said Chris Hellman, a senior analyst for the Center for Defense
Information, a Washington D.C.-based independent research group that
monitors military planning and
policy. "Clearly we've seen military combat weaponry migrate to the
civil sector. Just walk past any Swat Team and you see what is
basically an army unit," he told UPI.
The article quoted an official saying that human
subjects had been exposed to the beams more than 6,000 times under
laboratory conditions. Furthermore, military researchers had completed
a study, which has not been released, on the long-term health effects
of exposure.
"This puts a non-lethal arrow in quiver of commanders,"
said Ron Madrid, former Marine and an expert on non-lethal weaponry at
the University of Pennsylvania. "It provides decision makers with
options. You can guarantee that the Marines were excruciatingly
detailed in building in technological limiters to keep the system from
having a lethal effect,"
Retired Major General William L. Nash, the former
commanding general of the 1st Armored Division, told UPI the device
will inevitably create a race to build counter weapons. "The good news
is the weapon is non-lethal but the bad news is that for every weapon
there is bound to be a counter weapon," he said. "I can imagine
someone trying to develop a polymer based shield against this, for
example."
The Defense Department spent nearly $40 million over 10
years to develop the technology, said the Marine Corps Times report.
The Air Force co-sponsored the project, the story said, doing much of
the research and development.
Copyright 2001 by United Press International.
by Kelly Hearn
UPI Technology Writer
http://www.vny.com/cf/News/upidetail.cfm?QID=163207
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