Active Denial System

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The Active Denial System ( ADS ) is a US non-lethal anti-personnel radiation weapon that works through powerful and directional microwaves .

functionality

The ADS works with microwaves with a frequency of 95 gigahertz , which can be directed with an antenna at human or other targets at a distance of more than 500 meters. Household microwave devices, on the other hand, work at 2.45 gigahertz. The electromagnetic radiation emitted by ADS has a significantly higher energy density, but the energy only penetrates approx. 0.4 mm into the skin. The high radiation energy heats the water molecules in the skin to approx. 55 degrees within seconds, which is perceived by the attacked person as a pain stimulus and is intended to encourage them to flee. According to proponents, no permanent damage should occur.

development

ADS was developed in the 1980s by the US Air Force (Air Force Research Laboratory) and the Joint NonLethal Weapons Directorate at a cost of more than $ 51 million. Approximately $ 9 million of the investment went into human testing, which began in 2000 at Kirtland Air Force Base. The ADS is being developed today by the defense company Raytheon on behalf of the US Department of Defense. In the future, the ADS systems currently mounted on vehicles due to their size and mass are to be further reduced in size. The plan is to develop customized systems for use at sea and for uprising control from the air. With the Silent Protection System , Raytheon offers a slimmed-down ADS version with a reduced range on the market. Another version from the same manufacturer is the Silent Guardian System.

In 2015 it became known that the US Special Forces intended to equip aircraft with ADS systems. After the ADS were already in place for land-based units such as the US Marine Corps , Lieutenant General Bradley A. Heithold announced a five-year plan to equip Lockheed AC-130 and F-15E Strike Eagle , among other things . After spending billions of dollars on laser weapons, around 300 million dollars a year will flow into the further development of ADS weapon systems from 2015 onwards.

Because of the low cost per shot, the lack of logistical expenses for ammunition and additional deployment scenarios, a fundamental shift in expenditures in the arms market in favor of energy weapons is expected. After the equipment of the US armed forces is initially in the foreground until 2020, a global change in planning is forecast, in which it is assumed in 2018 that around 50% of global armaments expenditure will be attributable to the radiation weapons segment and a volume of 5.21 at the end of 2020 Billion USD reached. It has been known since 2017 at the latest that Russia and China have developed their own energy weapon systems that are comparable to American devices.

use

The use of ADS systems in Iraq was planned for 2006 . According to Michael Wynne, the Secretary of State responsible for the US Air Force, ADS will now be tested in the US. According to information from Sandia National Laboratories , ADS systems should also be used to protect systems belonging to the American Department of Energy .

criticism

Brett Wagner of the California Center for Strategic Studies filed a petition in July 2006 against the radiation weapons, also known as Rumsfeld's ray gun . According to Wagner, these are a violation of the Geneva Conventions as the only goal of ADD is to create pain. The severe pain should also cause permanent trauma, which is why, according to Wagner, they should be classified as instruments of torture. The procurement and existence of such a system would at least enable the weapon to continue to be used as an instrument of torture.

The unrealistic conditions in tests in which test subjects do not wear glasses or contact lenses and have not or were not allowed to carry any metallic objects such as coins, keys, buttons or zippers with them are also criticized.

Neil Davison, an expert on non-lethal weapons from the University of Bradford / England, points out the practically uncontrollable radiation dose for people whose freedom of movement e.g. B. is restricted in a crowd. As Edward Hammond of the Sunshine Project found out through submissions under the Freedom of Information Act , previous tests when used in the vicinity of settlements, water surfaces and special soils resulted in risks that make the use of the weapon appear questionable. Sweaty or wet clothing can also contribute to an increased effect and cause burns to the skin.

See also

Web links

Commons : Active Denial System  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b David Hambling: Details of US microwave-weapon tests revealed . ( Memento of February 27, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) New Scientist , July 22, 2005.
  2. ↑ Silent Guardian Protection System . ( Memento of August 21, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 383 kB)
  3. ↑ US Special Forces pursuing AC-130-based 'active denial system' ( Memento from July 31, 2015 in the Internet Archive ).
  4. ↑ Pragati Pathrotkar: Lower Cost Per Shot of Directed Energy Weapons to Stimulate Sales in Long Term ( Memento of 16 March 2018 Internet Archive ).
  5. ↑ E-weapons race with the United States: "Russia had no other choice than to enter" . ( Memento of October 10, 2017 in the Internet Archive ). Sputnik (news portal)
  6. ↑ The microwave weapon will initially be tested in the USA . ( Memento from November 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) heise online, September 14, 2006.
  7. ↑ News: Team investigates Active Denial System for security applications . ( Memento from May 28, 2010 on the Internet Archive ) Sandia National Labs, June 30, 2005.
  8. ↑ Olaf Arndt: Weapons of the future - between warning scream and shot . ( Memento from February 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Süddeutsche Zeitung, August 30, 2006.
  9. ↑ Kelly Hearn: Rumsfeld's Ray Gun . ( Memento from August 12, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) AlterNet, August 19, 2005.
  10. ↑ Florian Rötzer: How dangerous is the ADS microwave weapon? ( Memento of November 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Telepolis , September 14, 2006.