But does it work
New Scientist magazine reports
that the US Air Force is spending shedloads of cash on an Active Denial
System.
This is a high tech system which fires a tightly focused beam of
microwaves that causes an intense, but theoretically harmless, burning
sensation on the skin of its human targets. The ADS was developed by the
Pentagon's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate. It has mounted a version on
a truck and made a smaller version for infantry use.
The Air Force
version, according to New Scientist, will be packed into a chopper and
capable of handling multiple beams at once making it perfect for non-lethal
crowd control. But apparently beancounters at the Government Accountability
Office survey rated the ADS a big waste of money, and some researchers have
questioned whether it really is harmless to its targets.
It is set to
cost the Air Force $2 million to $10 million. However so far it has never
been used, because there are concerns about its legality and its potential
for unintentional harm. US laws actually forbid it from being used on US
citizens.