This technology is not in the works. Its been deployed in Iraq and Gaza. Under the ruse of the Iraq war, the military has been testing an active denial system which can knock off a person without explosive force. This invisible microwave technology has potential use in urban combat flush out enemy combatants and where its undesirable to cause visible damage to surrounding structures that may be seen as unjustifiable use of force. In a 2003 Economist article titled "Come fry with me" this technology is quoted as hot and
"So-called "active denial" technology (which earns its moniker by actively herding people out of its path) works by using a beam of millimetre-length microwaves to heat up a person's skin. The marines are planning to put a version of the weapon on to a jeep. Its range and properties are classified, but military newspapers say it can heat a person's skin to 55°C (130°F) at distances of up to 750 metres. This has urban-warfare planners excited, as it would let American forces clear city blocks in, say, Baghdad, without going door-to-door and risking American casualties.
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And weapons such as the active denial system could cause severe trauma, or even death, if fired at close range or held on a target for too long. Critics of non-lethal systems also worry that they might be used for repression of civilian populations."
More on the The Viability of Directed-Energy Weapons , April 2006 article by Alane Kochems and Andrew Gudgel suggest these weapons systems are ready for deployment in the military.
"A subset of HPM devices can affect the human body. Millimeter waveband energy can penetrate human skin to a very shallow depth, heating the tissue below. This produces a burning pain without actually damaging the tissue. The pain forces the person to flee the area. This type of weapon shows great potential as a riot-control device or area-denial system.[20]
The Active Denial System (ADS) is a nonlethal anti-personnel DEW that uses millimeter-wavelength beams to create a painful sensation in an individual without causing actual injury. It is relatively close to deployment. The system generates a focused beam of energy at the frequency of 95 gigahertz. These waves penetrate only a few millimeters into the skin and cause the sensation of heat. The sensation increases in intensity until the affected individual moves out of the beam or it is shut off. There is no injury to the target individual.[21]
A demonstration system was tested at Kirtland Air Force Base in 2000. A year later, testing showed that the ADS could produce effects at ranges beyond current small-arms range. A prototype ADS system mounted on a Humvee went into testing in August 2005.[22]
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At some point in the future, entire military units may be armed with only DEWs. A mechanized unit advancing through a town, protected by an anti-artillery and anti-missile laser shield, clearing the surrounding buildings of snipers and enemy troops with an active denial system, and using electrolasers to stun them before taking them prisoner, all while using HPM weapons to render the enemy’s communications useless, would be a powerful military unit indeed."
Yeah, I've read about these weapons already being used in Iraq and Gaza on a very limited basis. They were supposedly used on a bus in Iraq where there was no evidence of explosive ordinance and all of the people were charred from the chest up. Gruesome stuff.
Not to be confused with the much drier Frank Capra film from 1943.A "Broadway Brevity", released August 1, 1942. Vitaphone #1022-1023A.Transferred from 16mm.
The 2010 album Metallic Spheres by The Orb and David Gilmour has been reimagined and remixed as Metallic Spheres In Colour. Out now: https://theorbdg.lnk.to/...