non-lethal

MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. - The military calls its new weapon an ''active denial system,'' but that's an understatement. It's a ray gun that shoots a beam that makes people feel as if they are about to catch fire.

Apart from causing that terrifying sensation, the technology is supposed to be harmless _ a non-lethal way to get enemies to drop their weapons.

 

he United States Air Force has certified a new weapon that will be used on the ground against insurgents in Iraq. The $40 million USD Active Denial System (ADS) took ten years to develop and is a non-lethal weapon that shoots millimeter waves at offending parties. The beams fired by the ADS feature 3mm wavelengths as opposed to a 12cm wavelength used in an average household microwave oven. As a result of the shorter wavelengths, the weapon does not represent a radiation risk to victims and will not impose long-lasting damage in most cases.