September 21, 2004
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Microwave gun to be used by US troops on Iraq rioters
By Tony Freinberg and Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent
(Filed: 19/09/2004)
Microwave weapons that cause pain without lasting injury are to be issued to American troops in Iraq for the first time as concern mounts over the growing number of civilians killed in fighting. The non-lethal weapons, which use high-powered electromagnetic beams, will be fitted to vehicles already in Iraq, which will allow the system to be introduced as early as next year.
The beam rapidly heats water molecules in the skin to cause intolerable pain and a burning sensation. The invisible beam penetrates the skin to a depth of less than a millimetre. As soon as the target moves out of the beam's path, the pain disappears.
The armoured vehicles will be named Sheriffs once they have been modified to carry the microwave weapons.
Comments (2)
isnt Zapp Branigan a character on Futurama? Seems so sci-fi and surreal..
Hrmn... seems awful hard to control a gun to a depth of less than a millimeter when it will be mounted on a vehicle. Ought to be interesting to see how that works out.
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