Give it a shot - ADS non-lethal high freq weapon (GALLERY)

Albeit being an opponent of any form of violence and condemning any action of war, I realise at the same moment that the world can be a bit aggressive every now and then, and some action for the protection of people has to be taken. In this view I welcome any technical development aiming at protection without hurting somebody. From mass destruction weapons to selective immobilising without permanently injuring, must be the ultimate goal of all military technological development. In contrast to weapons which target people but leave property untouched.
With some frightful exceptions the military in these days is serving in a multitude of non-traditional roles such as peace-keeping and humanitarian efforts. And the military has to accept this role as its only reason for existence.

Recently the military’s Non-Lethal Active Denial System (ADS) was presented to the press. ADS looks like a radar antenna mounted on a hybrid Humvee*). Radar systems have a transmitter emiting radio waves that are reflected by the target and detected by a receiver, typically in the same location as the transmitter. However the heart of this transmitter is a water-cooled gyrotron developed by Palo Alto’s CPI Inc. and creating a radio frequency beam. Gyrotrons are high powered vacuum tubes which emit millimeter wavelength beams by bunching electrons with cyclotron motion in a strong magnetic field. The operator sitting in the Humvee lines up the target and fires a 95 GHz blast from a 100 kW ultra-high-frequency radio transmitter. The aiming device, comprised of “relatively simple” optics, looks down the center of beam.
“The sensation at the target up to 500m away is akin to taking a heat blast from an opened oven door,” according to Marine Corps. Col. Kirk Hymes, “This does not incapacitate them. This pushes them back and out of the way,”

Although the new weapon will enter a war zone, namely Iraq (one of these horrible exceptions, I mentioned) the ADS is supposed to be for peace-keeping as Col. Hymes explains:
“We have instances where helicopters had a hard time landing to deliver foodstuffs. Hunger is a pretty motivating factor and if I was senior member of my tribe or clan and I’ve watched my family die from hunger, I’ll do what it takes to get those foodstuffs. How do you non-lethally get them to stand in an orderly fashion so the food can be delivered safely and proportionally and protect those who aren’t in a rush? If you can target individuals to stay back, leave the area or form an orderly line, it only takes a couple of individuals to be targeted.”
It sounds like an electric stick used for cattle, but in this instance remotely controlled.

Design News will explore this new weapon in depth in an upcoming issue.
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*) High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee) is a military 4WD motor vehicle created by AM General.