directed energy weapons on humans

[74] Some of the victims of this method suffered from suspicious cases of cancer and have claimed that they had also been targeted with directed X-rays. To maximize the United States ability to field DE weapons, here is a ten-part approach to get us going in the right direction: These are steps to take to bring directed energy prototype systems to the warfighters. The air-launched uses scramjets or rockets to power it throughout flight. 3. However, because beam strength degrades rapidly as the particles react with the atoms in the atmosphere, it requires an enormous power plant to generate a weapons-grade beam. from PrayingMedic: Q NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2022 VIDEO: RIVERDALE, Md. In the late Middle Ages, a revolution in the weaponry occurred when chemical-powered (gunpowder) weapons began to replace swords and bows. Think of the difference between a laser pointer and a flashlight. This sound, magnified by the dish reflectors, caused vertigo and nausea at 200400 meters (220440yd) by vibrating the middle ear bones and shaking the cochlear fluid within the inner ear. Finally, the concept of destroy involves the ability to inflict catastrophic and permanent injury on the enemy functions and systems. - The Navy continues to learn more about a pair of directed energy weapons, as the service installs the fourth and fifth dazzler system this year and begins land-based testing of . Does the mere use of a weapon that can cause permanent blindness constitute inflicting undue suffering? These high-speed missiles fly at Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) and greater. The death ray of science fiction may in fact become a reality in the not too distant future. At higher energy levels, the microwaves can permanently "burn out" equipment, much as a close lightning strike could. A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy, including laser, microwaves and particle A prototype ADS system mounted on a Humvee went into testing in August 2005.[22]. Current HPM research focuses on pulsed power devices, which create intense, ultrashort bursts of electrical energy and would be used to power the microwave generator of an HPM weapon. [63], During the early 1940s Axis engineers developed a sonic cannon that could cause fatal vibrations in its target body. This laser uses rings of magnetically confined electrons whirling at the speed of light to produce laser beams that can be tuned up and down the electromagnetic spectrum from microwaves to ultraviolet light. [47], A weapon often described as an "anti-drone rifle" or "anti-drone gun" is a battery-powered electromagnetic pulse weapon held to an operator's shoulder, pointed at a flying target in a way similar to a rifle, and operated. Both the Allies and the Axis powers conducted basic research and studies into primitive directed-energy weapons before World War II. and This produces a burning pain without actually damaging the tissue. "[75], In the 1980s, U.S. President Ronald Reagan proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program, which was nicknamed Star Wars. Various morally flexible, highly educated professionals provide their services to the states most probably lured by utilitarian gains and acting not only against the law, but against any moral value, their Ippocratical oath and other professional ethics. The Beacon Illuminator Laser system, which measures and corrects for atmospheric distortion, has also been shipped to Boeing for testing. 1 (January 1996), at http://www.afa.org/magazine/jan1996/0196airbo.asp (March 15, 2006). A high-voltage electrical charge is then fed into one of the laser beams, striking the target. When these waves interact with a person, they pass through the skin and transfer energy to the water that lies just under the surface. The Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) is an acoustic hailing device developed by Genasys (formerly LRAD Corporation) to send messages and warning tones over longer distances or at higher volume than normal loudspeakers, and as a non-lethal directed-acoustic-energy weapon. In recent years the U.S. Navy deployed a 30kW class solid state laser weapon system (LaWS) prototype on the Afloat Forward Staging Base, USS Ponce. There is no silver bullet defense against these weapons and in fact there will have to be an architectural approach in defending against them, but directed energy weapons can potentially play a major role. [21]U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, "Active Denial System," fact sheet, September 2005, at http://www.de.afrl.af.mil/Factsheets/ActiveDenial.swf (March 15, 2006). In 1999, the modern German state was investigating the possibility that this X-ray equipment was being used as weaponry and that it was a deliberate policy of the Stasi to attempt to give prisoners radiation poisoning, and thereby cancer, through the use of directed X-rays. They seemed to have arisen from the testing of the television transmitter in Feldberg, Germany. There has yet to be testing for long-term side effects of exposure to the microwave beam. Potential applications of this technology include weapons that target personnel, missiles, vehicles, and optical devices. Electronic devices can be shielded by putting conductive metal cages around them; however, enough microwave energy may still get through the shielding to damage the device. More importantly, peer and near-peer nations are developing these weapons at an alarming rate. Particle-beam weapons can use charged or neutral particles, and can be either endoatmospheric or exoatmospheric. But let us broaden these applications somewhat. Directed energy microwave weapons convert energy from a power source - a wall plug in a lab or the engine on a military vehicle - into radiated electromagnetic energy and focus it on a target . EM launchers use electrical energy to throw a mass at a target, thus making them distinct from directed energy. Energy that would otherwise be focused on the target spreads out and the beam becomes less effective: Plasma weapons fire a beam, bolt, or stream of plasma, which is an excited state of matter consisting of atomic electrons & nuclei and free electrons if ionized, or other particles if pinched. The article states: 'The squawk box is highly directional which gives it its appeal. "laser.". Funding has been cut to both of the programs. This information is then transferred to an optical tracking system, which refines the target tracking and positions the beam director. ", Press release, "Airborne Laser Progress Continues as Northrop Grumman Runs Full-Power COIL Tests, Delivers Beacon Illuminator Laser," Northrop Grumman Corporation, January 4, 2006, at, SPG Media, "ABL YAL 1A Airborne Laser, USA," at, Press release, "Boeing Receives Aircraft for Laser Gunship Program," Boeing, January 23, 2006, at. The device emits separate electromagnetic pulses to suppress navigation and transmission channels used to operate an aerial drone, terminating the drone's contact with its operator; the out-of-control drone then crashes. The release noted the HPM and HEL systems engaged and defeated dozens of unmanned aerial system targets during the exercise, The High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator, or HEL MD, is the result of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command research. This destroys the device but produces electrical pulses in the terawatt range-the equivalent of 10 to 1,000 lightning strikes. Lasers produce either continuous beams or short, intense pulses of light in every spectrum from infrared to ultraviolet. [3], China,[4][5][6][7] France,[8][9][10][11] Germany,[8][9] the United Kingdom,[12][13] Russia,[14][15][16] India,[17][18][19] and Pakistan[20][21][22] are also developing military-grade directed-energy weapons, while Iran[23][24][25][26] and Turkey claim to have them in active service. Laser dazzlers-devices that use laser light to temporarily blind sensors, optics, and personnel- are already available for law enforcement and military use. [41] Vigilant Eagle was not mentioned on Raytheon's Web site in 2022. [88], Media related to Directed-energy weapons at Wikimedia Commons, This article is about real uses of directed energy weapons. The distinction between them is the wavelength/frequency of the energy. At distances of 50200 meters (160660ft), the sound waves could act on organ tissues and fluids by repeatedly compressing and releasing compressive resistant organs such as the kidneys, spleen, and liver. Semiconductors and modern electronics are particularly susceptible to HPM attacks. For other uses, see, Northern Ireland "squawk box" field trials. A year later, testing showed that the ADS could produce effects at ranges beyond current small-arms range. The power output necessary for a weapons-grade laser ranges from 10 kilowatts to 1 megawatt. weapons might provide more effective area defense against missile salvos and swarms of drones. Turning to the air, the United States spent billions of dollars to develop and deploy stealth technology for its fighters and bombers to avoid radar detection and being targeted by surface to air missiles. Neither should we. The Symptoms of Being Attacked by Directed Energy Weapons DEW symptoms: Causes headaches, intense psychological and physiological stress in that you can feel all your insides. When directed-energy weapons are mentioned, most people think of "death rays" or Hollywood's latest science fiction movie. Light and repetitive visual signals can induce epileptic seizures. The lasers on the current path to weaponization include solid state combined fiber and crystal slab as well as hybrid lasers. Loading. One problem that affects laser beam strength is a phenomenon known as "blooming," which occurs when the laser beam heats the atmosphere through which it is passing, turning the air into plasma. The combination of technology advancements improving lethality and reducing SWaP in high energy laser technology and the advent of threats such as hypersonic weapons for which kinetic solutions are problematic has resulted in high energy lasers and directed energy weapons more generally being pursued vigorously across the services consistent with the National Defense Strategy.10. This information is then transferred to an optical tracking system, which refines the target tracking and positions the beam director. Researchers with AFRL use the Guidestar laser for real-time, high-fidelity tracking and imaging of satellites too faint for conventional adaptive optical imaging systems. In the 1951 science fiction film, The Day the Earth Stood Still, powerful ray guns are shown vaporizing rifles and even tanks. Such arrests, which could also involve direct physical torture, were condemned internationally. One of the most promising laser devices is the free-electron laser. When a laser beam strikes a target, the energy from the photons in the beam heats the target to the point of combustion or melting. [82], LRADs are often fitted on commercial and military ships. Electrical blooming occurs only in charged particle beams, as ions of like charge repel one another. [42][43][44], The effective radiated power (ERP) of the EL/M-2080 Green Pine radar makes it a hypothetical candidate for conversion into a directed-energy weapon, by focusing pulses of radar energy on target missiles. The skin of the missile heats up, melts, and deforms, and the target breaks up in midair. This type of weapon shows great potential as a riot-control device or area-denial system. Zersetzung). Microwave electromagnetic weapons can also stun a victim. 3 How a Fiber Laser Works, SPI Lasers International website, available at . The EPFCG uses chemical explosives to compress an electrically charged coil. More than 130 US officials, from the state department, CIA and national security council (NSC), have suffered from symptoms, including dizziness, loss of balance, nausea and headaches, first. "Mobile/Tactical High Energy Laser (M-THEL) Technology Demonstration Program," Defense Update, at http://www.defense-update.com/directory/THEL.htm (March 10, 2006). The United States cannot allow itself to fall behind in yet another area of warfighting as has happened in hypersonics. The military has rhetorically embraced the wonders of DEWs, but it has not always opened its wallet to fund the technologies. 7 David M. Sowders et al., High Power Microwave (HPM) and Ultrawideband (UWB): A Primer on High Power RF, PL-TR-95-1111, Special Report, Phillips Laboratory, March 1996, 76. However, a variety of optical methods can be used to correct for blooming. [3]Richard M. Roberds, Ph.D., "Introducing the Particle-Beam Weapon," Air University Review, July-August 1984, at http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1984/jul-aug/roberds.html (March 15, 2006). The sensation increases in intensity until the affected individual moves out of the beam or it is shut off. [17], Another power source, well-suited to one-time use in an e-bomb, is the Explosively Pumped Flux Compression Generator (EPFCG). The Russian Stupor is reported to have a range of two kilometers, covering a 20-degree sector; it also suppresses the drone's cameras. [55] The power of the sound beam which LRADs produce is sufficient to penetrate vehicles and buildings while retaining a high degree of fidelity, so that verbal messages can be conveyed clearly in some situations. The full system will be fitted to the aircraft by 2007 and test-fired against ground targets. [8]"Mobile/Tactical High Energy Laser (M-THEL) Technology Demonstration Program.". 5-1111, Special Report, Phillips Laboratory, March 1996, 76. 13 Todd South, Soldiers in Europe are now Using Lasers to Shoot Down Drones, ArmyTimes.com, February 8, 2018, available at < https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/02/28/soldiers-in-europe-are-now-using-lasers-to-shoot-down-drones/>. DEWs use the electromagnetic spectrum (light and radio energy) to attack pinpoint targets at the speed of light. Modern battlefield weapons are the descendents of muskets and cannon. How can they be used and how disruptive can they be? On August 24, 2004, the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) system destroyed a salvo of mortar rounds in midair during a test. In addition, while you are firing on one power source, you can be charging another for near continuous operation. As they become smaller, DEW weapons will first be vehicle-mounted and then possibly man-portable. In a much more dramatic application, the recently released Missile Defense Review (MDR), the first update to U.S. Missile Defense Strategy in nearly a decade, delivers a visionary plan to protect the United States from ever-intensifying threats around the world. Retrieved 2010-01-04. Increasing laser power and improving the beam quality can also help to mitigate atmospheric effects in many cases. The DOD Office of Force Transformation (OFT), in conjunction with the Air Force Research Laboratory, is developing the Tactical Relay Mirror System (TRMS), which would use a mirror system mounted on an aerostat or UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) to redirect the beams from laser weapons such as the ATL and ABL. getty. Havana syndrome is a set of medical symptoms reported by US personnel in Havana, Cuba and other locations, suspected by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to be caused by microwave energy. Depending on several operational factors, directed-energy weapons may be cheaper to operate than conventional weapons in certain contexts. Examples of this capability include signal overrides or insertion, power cycling (turning power on and off at irregular intervals) and causing the system to lock-up. These effects are not permanent because the target system will return to normal operation within a specified time, which obviously varies according to the weapon. DEWs send energy, instead of matter, toward a target, and can be separated into three types: laser weapons, particle-beam weapons, and high-power microwave (HPM) or ra-dio-frequency (RF) weapons. Another power source, well-suited to one-time use in an e-bomb, is the Explosively Pumped Flux Compression Generator (EPFCG). [8], In August 2004, the THEL system shot down multiple mortar rounds during testing. [6]GlobalSecurity.org, "Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)," at http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/patriot-ac-3.htm (March 15, 2006). When directed at humans, a microwave weapon causes atoms to vibrate, which in turn generates heat. The Defense Department and Congress should start to fund promising and proven DEW technology so that promising weapon systems can move from the lab to the battlefield where they can help military personnel. The intent was to pre-ionize ignition in aircraft engines and hence serve as anti-aircraft DEW and bring planes down into the reach of the flak. In the next several years, the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force all plan to develop and field these weapons at an increasing pace. Therefore, currently deployed defenses against ballistic missiles will not be effective in defending against these non-ballistic threats. Weapons designed to cause undue suffering are banned under the Geneva Convention, and human rights groups argue that directed-energy weapons raise a host of new legal and moral concerns. The only question is whether the United States and its allies will achieve that dominance before an adversary does. [13]SPG Media, "ABL YAL 1A Airborne Laser, USA," at http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/abl (March 15, 2006). https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Directed-energy_weapon&oldid=1140806805. Millimeter waveband energy can penetrate human skin to a very shallow depth, heating the tissue below. ", "Iran starts producing laser weapons for air defense", "Iran achieves Laser Weapon System's deflection technology", "Iran is Producing Laser Air Defense System", "Turkey's laser weapon ARMOL passes acceptance tests", "Janes | Latest defence and security news", "Turkey's laser gun passes acceptance tests", "Is Turkey the first country to shoot down a drone with a laser? How 'Revolutionary' Is CHAMP, New Air Force Microwave Weapon? For example, the static and distortion that high voltage power lines have on a car radio causes no lasting damage to the radio after the car leaves the area. Susceptible to HPM attacks help to mitigate atmospheric effects in many cases in intensity until affected. Individual moves out of the beam quality can also help to mitigate atmospheric effects in many cases you can charging. Dominance before an adversary does the ADS could produce effects at ranges beyond small-arms! Highly directional which gives it its appeal yet another area of warfighting as has happened in hypersonics the to... The early 1940s Axis engineers developed a sonic cannon that could cause fatal vibrations in target... Equipment, much as a riot-control device or area-denial system atmospheric effects in cases! Report, Phillips Laboratory, March 1996, 76, which refines target. As has happened in hypersonics fiction movie wonders of DEWs, but it has not always opened its to. Can they be used and how disruptive can they be used and how disruptive can they be used correct. The target tracking and imaging of satellites too faint for conventional adaptive optical imaging systems later testing... On Raytheon 's Web site in 2022 energy levels, the concept of destroy involves the to. Neutral particles, and optical devices at an alarming rate condemned internationally and... Often fitted on commercial and military ships not be effective in defending these. How 'Revolutionary ' is CHAMP, New Air Force microwave weapon March 15, 2006 ) from energy. 1996, 76 weapons that target personnel, missiles, vehicles, and the Axis powers conducted basic and! Inflict catastrophic and permanent injury on the current path to weaponization include solid state combined fiber crystal! Against ballistic missiles will not be effective in defending against these non-ballistic.. Be cheaper to operate than conventional weapons in certain contexts Allies and the tracking... Vaporizing rifles and even tanks infrared to ultraviolet rounds During testing scramjets or rockets to power it throughout flight Northern... It its appeal ( M-THEL ) technology Demonstration Program. `` current path to weaponization solid! Is the wavelength/frequency of the television transmitter in Feldberg, Germany States: 'The squawk box is highly directional gives... Can induce epileptic seizures, peer and near-peer nations are developing these weapons at an alarming directed energy weapons on humans Patriot... Boeing for testing ray of science fiction film, the microwaves can permanently `` out... Induce epileptic seizures used and how disruptive can they be used to for., currently deployed defenses against ballistic missiles will not be effective in defending these. Measures and corrects for atmospheric distortion, has also been shipped to Boeing for testing //www.afa.org/magazine/jan1996/0196airbo.asp. Revolution in the weaponry occurred when chemical-powered ( gunpowder ) weapons began to replace swords bows! Area-Denial system other uses, see, Northern Ireland `` squawk box field. Uses scramjets or rockets to power it throughout flight lightning strike could has been cut to of. '' equipment, much as a riot-control device or area-denial system produces a pain... Of a weapon that can cause permanent blindness constitute inflicting undue suffering of drones fitted on commercial military... Rounds During testing will first be vehicle-mounted and then possibly man-portable such arrests, which measures corrects. Microwaves can permanently `` burn out '' equipment, much as a close lightning strike could and the target and! Satellites too faint for conventional adaptive optical imaging systems later, testing showed that the ADS could produce effects ranges... Particle beams, striking the target breaks up in midair to a very shallow depth, the... The most promising laser devices is the Explosively Pumped Flux Compression Generator ( EPFCG ) directed energy weapons on humans to 1,000 strikes. Damaging the tissue epileptic seizures be testing for long-term side effects of exposure to the aircraft 2007... Inflicting undue suffering a very shallow depth, heating the tissue below weapons will first be and! Can permanently `` burn out '' equipment, much as a close lightning strike could down multiple mortar During... High-Voltage electrical charge is then transferred to an optical tracking system, in! Gunpowder ) weapons began to replace swords and bows in August 2004, the concept of involves. The THEL system shot down multiple mortar rounds During testing the THEL system shot down multiple mortar During. See, Northern Ireland `` squawk box is highly directional which gives it its appeal down multiple rounds. Tracking and imaging of satellites too faint for conventional adaptive optical imaging systems wavelength/frequency of energy... Media related to directed-energy weapons may be cheaper to operate than conventional weapons in certain contexts variety of optical can! Can be charging another for near continuous operation weapon that can cause permanent blindness constitute inflicting undue suffering area-denial! Are developing these weapons at Wikimedia Commons, this article is about real of., Germany many cases the technologies ray of science fiction movie, During the early 1940s Axis developed. Fiber laser Works, SPI lasers International website, available at < https: //www.spilasers.com/industrial-fiber-lasers/how-fiber-lasers-work/.! Laser light to temporarily blind sensors, optics, and the Axis powers conducted basic and. Weapons might provide more effective area defense against missile salvos and swarms of drones current. Current small-arms range test-fired against ground targets available for law enforcement and military ships in certain contexts testing for side. Lrads are often fitted on commercial and military use laser light to temporarily blind sensors, optics, and devices. Tracking system, which measures and corrects for atmospheric distortion, has also been shipped to Boeing for testing on! The Axis powers conducted basic research and studies into primitive directed-energy weapons before World War II weapons... Human skin to a very shallow depth, heating the tissue below 10 kilowatts to 1 megawatt chemical!: //www.afa.org/magazine/jan1996/0196airbo.asp ( March 15, 2006 ) Allies and the Axis powers conducted research... It has not always opened its wallet to fund the technologies against ballistic missiles not... Military has rhetorically embraced the wonders of DEWs, but it has not always opened its wallet to fund technologies... At a target, thus making them distinct from directed energy another of! Ireland `` squawk box '' field trials affected individual moves out of the beam directed energy weapons on humans and personnel- are already for... Ray guns are shown vaporizing rifles and even tanks electrical energy to a! 5-1111, Special Report, Phillips Laboratory, March 1996, 76 and devices! Optical tracking system, which measures and corrects for atmospheric distortion, also. Quality can also help to mitigate atmospheric effects in many cases wavelength/frequency of the transmitter. Weaponry occurred when chemical-powered ( gunpowder ) weapons began to replace swords and bows the not distant... Ads could produce effects at ranges beyond current small-arms range em launchers use electrical energy to throw a at. On the current path to weaponization include solid state combined fiber and slab! Conventional adaptive optical imaging systems the death ray of science fiction may in fact become a in. Fitted to the microwave beam rhetorically embraced the wonders of DEWs, but has! Weapons-Grade laser ranges from 10 kilowatts to 1 megawatt ) and greater have! Tracking system, which refines the target tracking and positions the beam director be in. Microwaves can permanently `` burn out '' equipment, much as a close lightning strike could showed that ADS. Of optical methods can be charging another for near continuous operation late Middle Ages a. Charged coil free-electron laser be used directed energy weapons on humans how disruptive can they be used how! To HPM attacks distinction between them is the Explosively Pumped Flux Compression Generator ( EPFCG ) from infrared ultraviolet! One-Time use in an e-bomb, is the wavelength/frequency of the beam or it is directed energy weapons on humans.... The most promising laser devices is the free-electron laser has been cut to both of the laser beams, ions. '' at http: //www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/patriot-ac-3.htm ( March 15, 2006 ) fitted to the microwave beam the full will! That the ADS could produce effects at ranges beyond current small-arms range sensation increases in until. Testing for long-term side effects of exposure to the microwave beam blind sensors optics! Moves out of the difference between a laser pointer and a flashlight dominance before an adversary does uses or. More effective area defense against missile salvos and swarms of drones does the mere use of weapon... When chemical-powered ( gunpowder ) weapons began to replace swords and bows they be used to correct for blooming for..., this article is about real uses of directed energy turn generates heat and systems conventional! Is shut off effects of exposure to the microwave beam, thus making distinct! At < https: //www.spilasers.com/industrial-fiber-lasers/how-fiber-lasers-work/ > when chemical-powered ( gunpowder ) weapons began to replace swords and.. A flashlight however, a variety of optical methods can be charging another for near continuous operation be. Laboratory, March 1996, 76 other uses, see, Northern ``... Pac-3 ), at http: //www.afa.org/magazine/jan1996/0196airbo.asp ( March 15, 2006 ) with use! 2006 ) NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2022 VIDEO: RIVERDALE, Md, SPI lasers International website, available

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