US military unveils heat-ray gun

BBC ^ | Thursday, January 25, 2007 | James Westhead

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

The gun uses a large dish mounted on a Humvee vehicle

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 gun - called Silent Guardian - projects an invisible high energy beam that produces a sudden burning feeling, but is actually harmless.

The beam can be fired as far as 500m (550 yards), much further than existing non-lethal weapons like rubber bullets.

The gun should be in use by the US military within three years.

The prototype weapon uses a large rectangular dish mounted on a Humvee vehicle.

The waves can penetrate clothes but not walls, suddenly heating up the skin of anyone in its path to 50C.

Journalists who volunteered to be zapped during the demonstration on an air base in the US state of Georgia described the sensation as similar to a blast from a very hot oven - too painful to bear and forcing them to dive for cover.

Military officials say the so-called "active denial system" is harmless, but could prove invaluable in the increasingly complex situations they face.

The marine colonel in charge said it was an alternative to going straight from shouting to shooting and could save lives.

The system could be used both for dispersing hostile crowds during peace time, or in conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

technology ping.

[PureSolace]

I remember them from Command and Conquer: Generals! Fun lil' toys.

Burn baby, burn! :)

[iowamark]

The system could be used both for dispersing hostile crowds during peace time, or in conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sounds like something Tony Snow could use on the White House press corps.

[Ritemind]

This would be useful at global warming demonstrations. "global warming, I'll give you global warming"!

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

They did try it out on journalists.....

[Dallas59]

Too bad it wasn't set on broil...

[Clink]

Cool, use it in Afghanistan & Iraq against the terrorists.
When they get so hot they drop their weapons, finish them off with live ammo.

[databoss]

looks like a big rpg target to me...hope there is a fry setting....

[Jack Hammer]

Toward the end of a very cold January here in the Northeast - as the nation shivers under all that "Global Warming" - I'm wondering how much a home unit would cost.

[cabojoe]

The first time a terrorist's kid gets nuked the dems will outlaw it.

[haywoodwebb]

"The gun should be in use by the US military within three years."

. . . and on the streets of the USA withing 5.

I wonder who'll be in power then? . . .

[Thrownatbirth]

They should do an operational test on the aging hippies and moonbats at the Mall this weekend in DC.

[MaDeuce]

The new Monster Island class Heat Cannon will be unvailed next month

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

The article has been updated on the BBC.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

HEAT-RAY WEAPON

• Directs a high energy beam

• Range of up to 500m

• Penetrates clothes but not walls

• Heats but does not harm

Military looks to 'black ice'

[Fresh Wind]

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

The updated version:

US military unveils heat-ray gun

The gun uses a large dish mounted on a Humvee vehicle

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.

Officials said there was wide-ranging military interest in the technology.

"This is a breakthrough technology that's going to give our forces a capability they don't now have," defence official Theodore Barna told Reuters news agency.

"We expect the services to add it to their tool kit. And that could happen as early as 2010."

'Blast from an oven'

The prototype weapon - called Silent Guardian - was demonstrated at the Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.

HEAT-RAY WEAPON Directs a high energy beam Range of up to 500m Penetrates clothes but not walls Heats but does not harm Military looks to 'black ice'

A beam was fired from a large rectangular dish mounted on a Humvee vehicle.

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.

Crowd control

Military officials said the weapon was one of the key technologies of the future.

"Non-lethal weapons are important for the escalation of force, especially in the environments our forces are operating in," said Marine Col Kirk Hymes, director of the development programme.

The weapon could potentially be used for dispersing hostile crowds in conflict zones such as Iraq or Afghanistan.

It would mean that troops could take effective steps to move people along without resorting to measures such as rubber bullets - bridging the gap between "shouting and shooting", Col Hymes said.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

It appears to me that it makes an easy target for a terrorist with a rocket propelled grenade.

[Vaquero]

we need to make it lethal....so I gave it MORE POWER!!!! UH..UH..UH..OHYEAH..UH..UH..!

[tlb]

>>>It appears to me that it makes an easy target for a terrorist with a rocket propelled grenade.

That's not the point. You expect a first generation prototype to be large. Later models will be reduced in size and increased in power assuming the M 1 meets expectations.

Note, what can hurt on a low setting will kill at a high enough setting.

[agere_contra]

Heat-ray? This is a microwave spallation weapon, surely?

[Gorzaloon]

They did try it out on journalists.....

I can hardly wait for them to start the human trials!

[doodad]

I heard this on the radio this morning here. They had audio clips from the miltitary volunteers being "shot." Absolutely hilarious.

Gezz #&*$%^ that hurt!! Son of ^&*(%&^%**(. It was great.

[jwparkerjr]

re: much further than existing non-lethal weapons like rubber bullets

I guess some of the personnel cuts this news organization made to stay viable included the position of copy editor.

The correct word in this sentence is "farther", not "further."

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Not going to critcize Jame Westhead too much. What separates the two?

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

James.....

[Grig]

Should have called it the Ronald Ray Gun. :)

[AntiGuv]

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[Sensei Ern]

Let's see...50 C...50 x 9 = 450...450 / 5 = 90...90 + 32 = 122.

So, used to control anyone south of the Mason Dixon line will be as much control as a heat wave.

And, it won't work in Iraq, where it may work as an airconditioner, bringing the temp down a few degrees.

Any possibility this was designed to control Ted Nugent when he goes wango tango after finding out Hitlery Clinton is president?

[Sensei Ern]

The semideaf hippies were all for it because they thought it was the, "Hate Reagan".

[farlander]

Exactly. It's definitely gotta be a microwave based weapon. So, hook it up to a large enough energy source, and you have insta-boiled 'insurgents'...erm... 'terrorists'. Can you imagine a focused microwave beam strong enough to boil any water/liquid it hits ? That'd make for a fantastic anti-personell weapon. No ballistics (can't miss, really), direct fire, zero travel time.

[King Prout]

it was down here at Moody, outside of Valdosta.
we cycle a LOT of folks out to the front, which might be why it was unveiled here.

[truemiester]

If they got RPGs you don't need non-leathal weapons. It's gonna be killin' time.