The US military has given the first public display of what it says is a revolutionary heat-ray weapon to repel enemies or disperse hostile crowds.

The weapon - called the Active Denial System - projects an invisible high energy beam that produces a sudden burning feeling, but is harmless.

Military officials believe the gun could be used as a non-lethal way of making enemies surrender their weapons.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6297149.stm

The beam has a reach of up to 500 metres (550 yards), much further than existing non-lethal weapons like rubber bullets.

It can penetrate clothes, suddenly heating up the skin of anyone in its path to 50C.

But it penetrates the skin only to a tiny depth - enough to cause discomfort but no lasting harm.

A Reuters journalist who volunteered to be shot with the beam described the sensation as similar to a blast from a very hot oven - too painful to bear without diving for cover.

I remember talking to a person on another board who claimed to be on the testing team of one of those weapons in Iraq. That was months ago. Nice that it was finally revealed to the public.

Got to say that I like the idea of these weapons. It shows me at least that the USA is not some cold evil super power that some media would have us believe.

It wants to keep peace and weapons like these will help [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

Finally revealed to the public? Hasn't everyone known about this thing for about a year now? There have been dozens of articles about it.

"High-energy beam" is also just something to make it sound more sci-fi than it really is. If I remember right, it's basically a giant microwave ray, it heats the water in the skin.

Now the silly thing is that it looks like one well-thrown rock is going to put it out of commission. That big plate is like a giant target.

first I have heard of it :shrug:

<font color=skyblue>This is the first I have heard of it, so thanks wellard! I am glad to see that this is intended as a non-lethal option. I want to see it used on some unruly crowd! Maybe they'll come up with a hand-held version for police to carry instead of those tasers/stun guns. </font>

I think they'd be a worse choice for cops than the stun guns, these are just pain, the tazers actually knock out your muscles for a bit, preventing you from moving. Imagine someone hopped up on [Some drug] enough to ignore pain, or someone who's just a bloody nutter, they'll ignore the pain and just brain the poor cop anyway.

Additionally, I imagine you need at least a few seconds of exposure before the pain makes you really NEED to get out of there, a cop standing right next to some dude with a knife or just a few feet away might not have the luxury of those few seconds, while crowd control situations generally at least give the officers present some distance between themselves and the mob. I'd like to see a mob with broken bottles and cobblestones sneak up on a small army of policemen/soldiers.

I'm just waiting for the next anti-terrorist game to start voicing the commands. ;)

"Smoke them? Shoot them? Blind them?"
"Nah. Cook them."
"One extra large serving of microwaved tangos coming up."

Cheers. ;)

Just as long as we get the hit models from Soldier of Fortune. I want to boil some terrorist's nads.

Nope! It's a HOT evil superpower! RUSSIA is the cold evil super power. This weapon is twenty years or so late, but it's nice to know that we have it just in case.

First time I had heard of it too Wellard, thanks ;)

Someone who considers rubber bullets to be non-lethal is probably willing to accept a lot of damage to someone before calling it "lasting harm"

I'm not quite sure what you mean, but the existance of this weapon was revealed back in 2001, this is just the first time it has been shown off.

Bah! Fuuyee!! I still prefer weapons that go kabooommmm!!! :D

[img]graemlins/Funny_post.gif[/img]

That takes the power out of the expression: "This is my... BOOMSTICK!!" :D

It just depends on what you point it at.

I'm betting this thing will cause cancer but we'll only find out after it's been in use for 15-20 years.

If it's used for crowd control I'd be interested to know how it would effect a pregnant woman or someone with a pacemaker or if you get hit in the eyes do they burst. We all know metal in a microwave is bad what happens to your zipper and buttons could leave some bad burns.

Pointing at someones groin or face with it will probably have a boomstick reaction! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

<font color=8fbc8f>Good evening my little civvies, glad to see you have fallen for the media left overs again.

Uhm, if the U.S. military has it open for public display, that means it has been proof tested.

Equipment that I was personally involved with for testing whilst posted to the Operational Test and Evaluation Command (Somewhere, California) circa 1994-1996 has not yet seen the media/public eye, but is in theather.

Just imagine having a AK, or Gsh under your robes when this dude gets pointed your way.

We have been all about less killing for years, hence the reduction from the 7.62mm to the 5.56mm back in Nam, the transition to the 9mm from the .45 in the 80-90's, and rubber bullets for machine guns, and shot guns for riot/crowd control, in the millennium.

However, the water cannon did not pass the operational test phase, nor did the proton plasma particle projector, but there is some positive data on the electro-magnetic wave disruptor.</font>

Our newspapers today mentioned something about a weapon that instantly creates a frozen underground, which is supposed to create a slippery situation for the enemy. :D Can anyone confirm if this is true ?

Just in case it is....do NOT go to war against Canada or any of the Scandinavian countries, they have skates to counter your new secret weapon, and they damn well know how to use them. :D

Good evening my Felix, glad to see you still haven't dropped your patronizing attitude when it comes to anything even vaguely military-related.

"Proton plasma particle projector"? Sounds like something out of Star Trek or Star Wars, also sounds completely ridiculous. Protons are part of the core mass of atoms, plasma is a state of matter and particles, well, they have a variety of definitions. A projector is something that projects them.

So basically, what I'm seeing here is... A weapon made for projecting superheated protons? I have to say that it's been long since I last heard of something that ridiculous. Either someone screwed up in the naming department or they pulled a fast one on you.

The EM-wave disruptor... Huh? Sounds like whoever's in charge of naming the latest weapons has been playing too much Battletech and needs to put down his Star Wars bong.

EM-waves are basically everything from ultra-violet radiation to visible light. So basically an EM-disruptor could do just about anything from just creating really trippy fata morganas to interfering with radio waves.

...and they sound really fun, too.

This is my BURNSTICK! :D

<font color=8fbc8f>That's what I like about you. Always seeking more! [img]graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img] Well you know, 23+ years of it in my blood, plus I am a DOD contract civilian makes it hard not to know what is/is not so!

Do you understand simple "Rail Gun Technology" as opposed to your SCI-FI whatnots?

The other one works extremely well on the human body, it really creates a wet and smelly situation for the recipiant. (total loss of bladder control) The guys down on the border have found them to be useful :D </font>

Oh, you're talking about ultrasound weaponry? Yeah, sure, makes the victim dizzy, puking and wetting himself. Nothing particularly unusual there. Everyone knows about that. I honestly do not know how EM weaponry would do that unless you're giving them a seizure through visible light patterns or using electro-magnetic waves to hit their brain, which I imagine would be more likely to just kill them dead. Same goes for all sorts of funky varieties of radiation.

And yes, I know what a railgun is, a railgun is definitely not a proton plasma projector. At least not unless it's launching some form of ionized proton plasma in a magnetic "pocket," at which point it strongly diverges from the traditional perception of a railgun.

I still think a needler would be cooler.

edit: Just checking, a railgun is the one that uses really strong electric current to create a magnetic field to hurl a chunk of metal at your enemies?

[ 01-27-2007, 03:11 AM: Message edited by: Iron Greasel ]

Yes, that's what a railgun is. They're fun stuff, I've even built a few weak ones, now working with a univertity mate to make something with more oomph. Rail guns are fun.
Anyway, let's get back to the PPPP. I distinctly remember Star Wars Episodes 4-6 having proton plasma weaponry. I think someone took the name "Star Wars Program" too literally. Now, I know that plasma is manipulated by magnetic fields, but firing plasma through a railgun seems rather counter-productive, as it would probably dissipate in ~50 meters of flight, unless a laser was used to lead the plasma. And I'm pretty sure were years away from anything like that in laser technology, so I am having a hard time buying this.