Pain Ray Going Airborne [HMMV with millimeter-wave beam penetrates skin, water molecules bubble]

Defense Tech ^ | Nov 15/16, 2004 | unknown

[Mike Fieschko]

It was only a matter of time, I guess. First, the Air Force builds a real-life, microwave-like pain ray. Then, it gets a company to strap that real-life, microwave-like pain ray to the back of a jet.

For years, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has been working on a millimeter-wave beam that penetrates a 64th of an inch beneath the skin. That causes the water molecules there to bubble. And that hurts like hell; people tend to run -- fast -- in the other direction. Small wonder, then, that non-lethal weapons experts call this "Active Denial System" the "holy grail of crowd control."

Active Denial been tested on people a bunch of times. A Humvee-mounted prototype is about to start undergoing trials. And now, Active Denial is going airborne.

AFRL handed Palo Alto's Communications & Power Industries a four year, $7 million contract, according to the Hilltop Times -- the in-house paper of Hill Air Force Base.

Dr. Diana Loree, the project officer for Active Denial, said four AFRL directorates are involved in developing this airborne capability: directed energy here; propulsion and vehicles at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; and human effectiveness at Brooks City-Base, Texas.

Experts from directed energy, as the lead directorate, focuses on the systems engineering and radiating system development, she said. Propulsion directorate experts focus on the airborne power generation and conditioning required for the radiating system. Vehicles directorate scientists and engineers put their efforts toward Active Denial's thermal management and aircraft integration issues while human effectiveness experts focus on biological effects research.

[SlowBoat407]

(excerpt) Experiment IV - Kate Bush

We were working secretly for the military.
Our experiment in sound was nearly ready to begin.
We only know in theory what we are doing.
Music made for pleasure
music made to thrill.
It was music we were making here until -

But they told us all they wanted was a sound
that could kill someone

From a distance
so we go ahead

and the meters are over in the red.

[SlowBoat407]

Project Xylophone. It was developed by scientists who were happy just to have new technology to work with and didn't see any need to deal with responsibility for how it was used.

[SlowBoat407]

Oh yes, it was also made with material created under a patent that the government acquired by force. (from "Atlas Shrugged")

[Little Ray]

Big dish - big target. What if you hosed it down with an AK? How much damage would it take to shut it down? Or is there a better target?

[7mmMag@LeftCoast]

"Reminds me of the government death-machine used to kill the goats with sound-waves in 'Atlas Shrugged'."

Life Imitates Art!