Electromagnetic weapons use energy to disrupt equipment or cause pain, but are not intended to kill. The Active Denial System (ADS) is the most developed and uses millimeter waves to heat the skin. Other weapons under development include the Pulsed Energy Projectile (PEP) and the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL). Concerns exist about the long-term effects and potential for torture with these weapons.
An electromagnetic weapon uses electromagnetic energy to disrupt equipment or cause unpleasant sensations, such as heat or pain, in order to subdue a human target. Typically, electromagnetic energy weapons are not intended to kill but to control people from a distance. Potential military uses include preventing unidentified people, who may or may not be enemies, from continuing to approach soldiers. The intention is that innocent civilians are less likely to be killed by an electromagnetic weapon. Although many of these weapons exist only in science fiction, directed energy weapons such as the Active Denial System (ADS), which heats the surface of the skin, the Pulsed Energy Projectile (PEP), and the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) weapon are in development stage for possible future use.
While electromagnetic radiation weapons will look familiar to most people due to the existence of lasers, phasers, and ray guns in popular science fiction books and movies, only a few examples of this type of weapon actually exist. The electromagnetic weapon is one of a range of non-lethal weapon types being researched by the US military and can use low- or high-energy laser or radio waves. What is known as the Active Denial System is the electromagnetic weapon that has been most extensively developed and considered for use in Afghanistan. ADS uses electromagnetic radiation to cause heating in a similar way to a microwave oven, although it uses millimeter waves rather than microwaves.
Millimeter waves only penetrate a short distance, about as far as three pieces of paper. This means they only heat surfaces, unlike microwaves, which can cook chunks of meat. An intense sensation of heat is produced, which ceases as soon as the skin moves away from the electromagnetic radiation. Although the purpose of ADS is to cause pain without burning, some subjects experienced burns in tests.
Another electromagnetic weapon under development, the pulsed energy projectile, uses laser pulses to deliver a shock that causes pain and paralysis. Shock occurs when an electromagnetic pulse strikes a solid target, such as a person. This type of weapon is thought to be used to disperse crowds, but there are concerns about unknown long-term effects and the possibility that PEP could be used for torture. A similar type of electromagnetic weapon, the Advanced Tactical Laser, is designed to be attached to an aircraft. It is controversial whether the ATL is truly a non-lethal weapon because it is capable of killing.
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