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Martian movie prop from War of the Worlds? No it's not science fiction.
with mind numbing results...
{Read an account here} The
DOD's Active Denial System
is being considered for use
in the U.S to "protect" DOE
sites that contain nuclear
assets. Of course once
approved for use in the
United States on civilians
there is no telling how
widespread the
implementation will become.
Once operational ADT
systems are easily calibrated
to produce a fatal death ray
not unlike the one in the 50's
science fiction classic...
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Science fiction no longer.
FRJ
developments are as
follows... Team
investigates Active
Denial System for
security applications
Millimeter-wave device
puts the ‘heat’ on
adversaries
Nonlethal weaponry. A
multi-organizational
team is adapting for
DOE use a technology
that can help keep
security adversaries out
of DOE sites that
contain nuclear assets.
Scroll down to see
Sandia National
Laboratories recent
work with ADS.
FACT SHEET
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
Air Force Research Laboratory
Office of Public Affairs
3550 Aberdeen Avenue S.E., Kirtland AFB NM 87117-5776
(505) 846-1911; Fax (505) 846-0423
INTERNET: http://www.de.afrl.af.mil/Factsheets/
EMAIL: afrl.public.affairs@kirtland.af.mil
ACTIVE DENIAL SYSTEM
Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration
The Active Denial System (ADS) is a non-lethal, counter-personnel directed energy weapon. It uses breakthrough
technologies to provide un-precedented, standoff, non-lethal capabilities at ranges beyond effective small arms
range.
ADS projects a focused, speed-of-light milli-meter-wave energy beam to induce an intolerable heating sensation
on an adversary’s skin and cause that individual to be repelled without injury. The picture on the right depicts the
prototype currently in development. ADS will enable U.S. forces to stop, deter and turn back an advancing
adversary without applying lethal force. This capability is expected to save countless lives by providing a means to
stop individuals without causing injury, before a deadly confrontation develops.
The technology was originally developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory and matured under the
sponsorship of the Department of Defense’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate. Approximately $51 million has
been invested over the past eleven years. The technology was developed in response to Department of Defense
needs for troops to have options short of deadly force. Non-lethal technologies can be used for protection of
defense resources, peacekeeping, humanitarian missions and other situations in which the use of lethal force is
undesirable. ADS will provide these capabilities close in as well as at longer standoff ranges.
How It Works
Active Denial Technology uses a transmitter producing energy at a frequency of 95Ghz and an antenna to direct
a focused, invisible beam towards a designated subject. Traveling at the speed of light, the energy reaches the
subject and penetrates the skin to a depth of less than 1/64 of an inch. Almost instantaneously it produces a
heating sensation that within seconds becomes intolerable and forces the subject to flee. The sensation
immediately ceases when the individual moves out of the beam or when the system operator turns it off.
Despite this sensation, the beam does not cause injury because of the shallow penetration depth of energy at this
wavelength and the low energy levels used. It exploits the body’s natural defense mechanism that induces pain as
a warning to help protect it from injury.
Human Effects Testing
A large portion of the investment, about $9 million, has been devoted to characterizing the effects of this
technology on the human body. This is to ensure the technology produces the desired response and is militarily
effective, while at the same time providing a large margin of safety against injury and long-term effects. Animals
and humans are being used in the test program, which is being conducted in strict compliance with the
procedures, laws and regulations governing animal and human experimentation. The tests are reviewed and
approved by a formal Institutional Review Board with oversight from the Air Force Surgeon General’s Office. An
independent panel of medical experts from outside the government also periodically reviews and advises on the
planning aspects and results of the research and test activities. Their 2002 review of the program concluded
there is low probability of serious injury from exposure to the ADS beam. Additionally, the panel concludes that the
probability of thermal eye injury is low and the probability of long-term health effects such as cancer is extremely
low.
Active Denial Technology Hardware Demonstrator
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Human Effectiveness Directorate at Brooks City Base, Texas, conducted
several years of successful and safe laboratory testing with small spot sizes. In 2000, testing began at Kirtland Air
Force Base, south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, using the new, full-scale technology hardware demonstration
system shown at right. It enabled larger areas of a volunteer test subject’s body to be exposed to the energy
beam and pro-vided for more realistic, military field conditions.
System Evolution
The Active Denial technology hardware demonstration system shown above represents a rudimentary first
integration of the key technology elements such as the millimeter-wave source, cooling system, and planar array
antenna, among others. In 2001, it successfully demonstrated the hardware technology necessary to achieve the
desired effect at full weapon power and distance, and set the stage for the next evolution of the system.
This next step is on-going and involves the integration and packaging of all the system’s components into a
mobile, nearly militarized system. The configuration chosen is the High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle,
commonly referred to as a Humvee. This activity is being conducted under an Advanced Concept Technology
Demonstration program, which is the process used by the Department of Defense to rapidly move mature
technologies into the hands of the warfighter for military evaluation.
Under the Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration, the Air Force Research Laboratory will produce a
Humvee-mounted prototype and provide it to operational forces from all the services in late 2004. The services
will first develop concepts for employing the system and then evaluate its utility in representative military
environments and scenarios. Depending on the results of this evaluation, which is projected to be completed at
the end of 2005, a decision will be made to produce and operationally deploy the system. Since this is the first
time this leading edge technology will be evaluated for military utility, it is possible that some of the services will
find they need considerably different system configurations of the ADS which would be tailored for specific
missions and operating environments, such as on-board a ship or on an aircraft. Planning for an airborne system
prototype has already begun under a separate effort.
The employment of Active Denial Technology has successfully undergone a preliminary weapons legal review. A
interim, comprehensive legal review, including treaty compliance, is in process and is projected to be completed
this year.
Organizations Involved
The ADS Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program is being sponsored by the Office of the Deputy
Under Secretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts, the Department of Defense Joint Non-Lethal
Weapons Directorate and U.S. Joint Forces Command.
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the
technical manager and responsible for the ADS prototype development. The Laboratory’s Human Effectiveness
Directorate at Brooks City Base manages the human effects characterization research and test program.
Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, is the operational manager and is leading the military
services in developing the concepts of operation and managing the formal military utility assessment.
The Air Force’s Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the transition manager,
charged with leading the planning activities necessary to transition the system into the formal Department of
Defense acquisition process, should the decision be made to equip U.S. forces with ADS.
The Raytheon Company is the lead integrator of the prototype.
- AFRL -
Air Force Research Laboratory
Current as of February 2003
The Active Denial System
Atmospheric particulate conditions greatly increase the effectiveness of the Active Denial System, {Up
to 3.2 Miles} these are deployed in the standard {CT} fashion. Can be used on an airborne platform as
well as stationary installations, the power level is adjustable, you can draw your own conclusions. This
and many other "mind and body control" speed of light weapons are currently deployed on Earth. "AC"
Back to Eyepod Front Page
Scroll down the page to read about Sandia National Labs latest tests.
To read more from others please continue...
Vehicle-Mounted Active Denial System (V-MADS)
Active Denial Technology is a breakthrough non-lethal technology that uses millimeter-wave electromagnetic
energy to stop, deter and turn back an advancing adversary from relatively long range. It is expected to save
countless lives by providing a way to stop individuals without causing injury, before a deadly confrontation
develops.
The technology was developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Department of Defense's Joint Non-
Lethal Weapons Directorate. Approximately $40 million has been spent on this technology over the past ten years.
In July 2005 it was reported that the Active Denial System would be deployed to Iraq before the end of the year.
Under an initiative called Project Sheriff, troops will receive a total of 15 vehicles.
This non-lethal technology was developed in response to Department of Defense needs for field commanders to
have options short of the use of deadly force. Non-lethal technologies can be used for protection of Defense
resources, peacekeeping, humanitarian missions and other situations in which the use of lethal force is
undesirable. The system is intended to protect military personnel against small-arms fire, which is generally taken
to mean a range of 1,000 meters. The system is described as having a range of 700 yards.
{The actual range of this weapon is unknown}
Countermeasures against the weapon could be quite straightforward — for example covering up the body with
thick clothes or carrying a metallic sheet — or even a trash can lid — as a shield or reflector. Also unclear is how
the active-denial technology would work in rainy, foggy or sea-spray conditions where the beam's energy could
be absorbed by water in the atmosphere.
Active Denial Technology uses a transmitter to send a narrow beam of 95-GHz millimeter waves towards an
identified subject. Traveling at the speed of light, the energy reaches the subject and penetrates less than 1/64 of
an inch into the skin, quickly heating up the skin's surface. The 95-GHz energy penetrates 1/64 inch into the skin
and produces an intense burning sensation that stops when the transmitter is switched off or when the individual
moves out of the beam. Within seconds, an individual feels an intense heating sensation that stops when the
transmitter is shut off or when the individual moves out of the beam. According to reports, a 2-second burst from
the system can heat the skin to a temperature of 130° F. At 50 °C, the pain reflex makes people pull away
automatically in less than a second. Someone would have to stay in the beam for 250 seconds before it burnt the
skin,
Despite the sensation, the technology does not cause injury because of the low energy levels used. It exploits a
natural defense mechanism that helps to protect the human body from damage. The heat-induced sensation
caused by this technology, is nearly identical to the sensation experienced by briefly touching an ordinary light
bulb that has been left on for a while. Unlike a light bulb, however, active denial technology will not cause rapid
burning, because of the shallow penetration of the beam and the low levels of energy used. The transmitter
needs only to be on for a few seconds to cause the sensation.
Air Force scientists helped set the present skin safety threshold of 10 milliwatts per square centimetre in the early
1990s, when little data was available. That limit covers exposure to steady fields for several minutes to an hour -
but heating a layer of skin 0.3 mm thick to 50 °C in just one second requires much higher power and may pose
risks to the cornea, which is more sensitive than skin. A study published last year in the journal Health Physics
showed that exposure to 2 watts per square centimeter for three seconds could damage the corneas of rhesus
monkeys.
Testing
Humans and animals are being used in the test program. All testing is being conducted with strict observance of
the procedures, laws and regulations governing animal and human experimentation. The tests have been
reviewed and approved by a formal Institutional Review Board with oversight from the Air Force Surgeon
General's Office. The testing is being conducted by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Human Effectiveness
Directorate.
Military and civilian employees have volunteered for these tests. Prior to participating in the program, all
volunteers are fully informed of the purpose and nature of the tests and of any reasonably foreseeable risks or
discomforts expected from the research. Other than minor skin tenderness due to repeated exposure to the
beam, there are no lasting effects. An institutional review board has determined that the risk level is minimal. No
pay is received for participation, and volunteers may withdraw at any time with no negative personal or
professional ramifications. Many of the project scientists are volunteers for the study. These tests, which are
being conducted at Kirtland Air Force Base south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, employ more realistic military field
conditions, following several years of successful and safe laboratory testing. These field tests are the first to
expose an entire test subject to the energy beam.
These tests demonstrate the technology, gather additional data on effects in realistic conditions, and allow the
military benefits to be assessed.
Louis Slesin, editor of Microwave News, a leading newsletter on non-ionizing radiation, calls VMADS a "significant
development" in directed energy weapons. However, he says that possible injuries, particularly to the eye, could
lead to stopping further development and actual deployment of the device-as the Pentagon did in the mid-1990s
when it was trying to develop blinding lasers. "The real question is whether it will go the way of the lasers," Slesin
says. Like laser, exposure to the microwave beam could cause eye damage. "People will get out of the beam, but
[injury to the eyes] depends on how much exposure they get," Slesin says. Slesin also notes that "the only people
who are doing health research on the effects of electromagnetic radiation are the people who are developing this
weapon-the Air Force Lab. . . . They're the only people who have any money in the United States to do research
on the health effects, and they're in firm control of the [safety] standard-setting process. . . . That's a clear
conflict."
FY 2002 Implementation Document (ID) signed establishing management oversight and overall program structure
to place ADS on one hybrid electric HMMWV. Concept of operation meeting conducted by Operational manager.
Transition meeting conducted by transition manager to define requirements for full system development. ADS
effects testing ongoing with frontal exposures of human subjects at full weapons parameters scheduled.
FY 2002 continued: ADS source optimization started and possible integration of high-temperature
superconducting coils investigated.
FY 2003 - Concept of operation, transition strategy development, and effects testing continuing. System
integration (battle management system, HMMWV, and beam director) started. Field demonstration in 4th quarter.
FY 2004 - Concept of operations finalized. Source optimization, effects testing, system integration continuing.
Field Test in 3rd quarter. Military Utility Assessment (MUA) begun.
FY 2005 - Effects testing and MUA finalized. Final optimization of Battle Management System and HMMWV
completed. Residual handed over to transition manager.
Operational System
Officials have begun examining appropriate platforms on which to deploy the technology. Currently, planning is
underway for a vehicle-mounted version. Future versions might also be used onboard planes and ships. The
vehicle-mounted version will be designed to be packaged on a vehicle such as a High Mobility Multi-purpose
Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, more commonly referred to as a Humvee). Power would be provided by a turbo-
alternator and battery system. Researches say they have made technological break through on power supplies to
run such weapons even when mounted on vehicles or aircraft.
This technology and its proposed use in an operational system have been given a preliminary weapons legal
review as required by Department of Defense Directive 3000.3 "Policy for Non-Lethal Weapons," and the United
States' treaty - obligations. This preliminary review found that further research, development, and testing of this
technology is permissible. As required by law, a final, comprehensive legal review will be completed prior to
entering the acquisition cycle.
Photograph of the demonstration hardware
Organizations involved
Two primary organizations are executing this program: the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate at Quantico
Marine Corps Base, Virginia, and the Air Force Research Laboratory, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base, Ohio. The Air Force Research Laboratory is developing the technology with funding from both the
Air Force and the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate.
From the Air Force Research Laboratory, two directorates are involved: the Directed Energy Directorate at
Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and the Human Effectiveness Directorate at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas.
The former works technology development and testing; the latter is in charge of biological effects research.
There are three primary contractors: Raytheon AET in Rancho Cucamonga, California, is the systems integrator,
CPI (Communications and Power Industries) in Palo Alto, California, is the source developer, and Veridian
Engineering in San Antonio, Texas, is performing biological effects research.
Other organizations and agencies that are involved in the this project include the Air Force Force Protection
Battlelab at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; the Marine Warfighting Laboratory at Quantico, Virginia; the Air
Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Florida; and the U.S. Special Operations Command at
MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
The Air Force's Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, will manage acquisition of
the Vehicle-Mounted Active Denial System based on this technology
Back to Eyepod Front Page
Defense Tech .Org...
But what choice did the American gunner have? When U.S. soldiers are faced with a hostile crowd, they only
have, broadly speaking, two options for breaking it up: the bullhorn or the machine gun. Words or bullets. Deadly
force, or no force at all.
What's need instead is a weapon that falls somewhere in between. That shoots to hurt, not to kill. That drives
away looters, without driving up casualty counts.
A microwave-like pain ray, let's say.
Fortunately, such a weapon is already deep into development. It's called the Active Denial System, or ADS. And,
by firing electro-magnetic waves that penetrate just a 64th of inch beneath the skin, ADS creates a burning
sensation that tends to make people run the other way, fast.
A Humvee-mounted ADS prototype is expected to be ready by the end of the year, with budget decisions made in
2005.
{This weapon is in use as you are reading this release}
But, whether ADS is accepted or not, attitudes about non-lethal weapons have to change. Right now, the
Pentagon's division devoted to such weapons gets about $44 million a year – out of a $400 billion budget. That's
to support the development of new weapons, and not build up stockpiles of existing ones, like stun grenades and
rubber-ball-packed claymores.
These weapons often stay in warehouses, rather than get used in the field, however. As a combat zone grows
increasingly hostile, commanders often become reluctant to use the weapons. It's like bringing a knife to a gun
fight, they argue.
But that kind of attitude can play right into the hands of insurgents, generating the kind of ugly reports we are all
reading today. Sometimes, in the middle of a gun fight, a knife is exactly what's needed.
THERE'S MORE: "You seem to assume that weapons such as the microwave device you describe will be used
only for the purposes intended, and that their effects will generally be less harmful than more directly lethal
devices," writes World Without Secrets author Richard Hunter.
But what happens if the people faced with such a weapon can't just run away? What happens if they're trapped in
a crowd, and the crowd can't move? How much pain must that crowd endure? How long can any member of the
crowd be exposed to that weapon before his or her skin -- or their eyes -- simply cook off?
What happens if the devices are used deliberately in a manner designed to cause maximum harm -- say, by
training the device on prisoners trapped in prison cells until they literally go mad with pain?
What happens if the system operator turns up the power? A little bit works well, why not try a lot?
What happens if the scientists didn't test the devices thoroughly, and they turn out to render anyone touched by
them blind, or impotent, or sterile?
I need a lot of convincing before I believe that weapons designed expressly to cause pain are humane.
Fair points, all. A system like Active Denial certainly would have the potential for abuse. But at least there would
be the possibility of using the weapon non-lethally -- a possibility which doesn't really exist today with an M-16.
AND MORE: "Killing is in our intentions, not our weapons," says Defense Tech reader JMW. When faced with an
adversary, "the individual soldier has to decide whether to kill or to take a prisoner. This has nothing to do with
armament." Aim a pistol at the knees, and it's just about as non-lethal as a pain ray.
There are NO "nonlethal" weapons when in the hands of military personnel. Weapons which disable or confuse
enemy troops are those used to prepare subsequent removal of threats by lethal force. This was the classical
use of poison gas during WWI and in the Iran-Iraq War. When nonlethal arms are available, one prevents enemy
weapon use nonlethally, and then applies the lethal force. Of course, whatever the weaponry, if capture is
feasible, it will be carried out; it doesn't matter whether nonlethal alternatives are available -- and they load down
our combatants with ineffective equipment.
This differs from police use, where the objective is law enforcement, not killing, threat removal, or capture of
facilities (we hope).
AND MORE: "Whatever happened to good old-fashioned tear gas?" asks Defense Tech reader RR. A few rounds
of tear gas into a crowd does a great job of changing the crowd's priorities. Safe, cheap, and effective."
Released September 13, 2004 10:00 AM
Top of Page
NEWS RELEASES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2005
Team investigates Active Denial System for security applications
Millimeter-wave device puts the ‘heat’ on adversaries
Nonlethal weaponry. A multi-organizational team is adapting for DOE use a technology that can help keep security
adversaries out of DOE sites that contain nuclear assets.
The DOE Office of Security and Safety Performance Assurance (SSA) is exploring the potential to use directed
energy weapons technology sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD), named Active Denial Technology
(ADT), to help protect DOE nuclear assets.
{And other sensitive areas of course.}
SSA is sponsoring Sandia National Laboratories, a National Nuclear Security Administration lab, to investigate
how the technology can be used on adversaries by developing a new small-sized Active Denial System (ADS) to
meet the unique and rapidly evolving security needs of DOE.
To help solve the many technical issues associated with this challenge, Sandia has partnered with Raytheon and
the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), because both organizations have significant experience with earlier
ADS system developments.
ADS systems are a new class of nonlethal weaponry using 95 GHz-millimeter-wave directed energy. This
technology is capable of rapidly heating a person’s skin to achieve a pain threshold that has been demonstrated
by AFRL human subject testing to be very effective at repelling people, without burning the skin or causing other
secondary effects.
The device is an alternative to lethal force.
{But can be and has been tested and used at lethal levels}
In the mid 1990s the Air Force funded development of an ADT system demonstrator that was led by AFRL and
built by Raytheon in partnership with Communications & Power Inc. (CPI) and Malibu Research. The success of
this demonstration system has resulted in several ongoing DoD-sponsored projects, such as the Joint Non-Lethal
Weapons Directorate’s Vehicle Mounted Active Denial System (VMADS) and the Office of Force Transformation’s
(OFT’s) project SHERIFF.
ADS — The new class of nonlethal weaponry uses 95 GHz-millimeter-wave directed energy. (Photo by Randy
Montoya)
Download 300dpi JPEG image, “directed-energy.jpg,” 644K (Media are welcome to download/publish this image
with related news stories.)Steve Scott, manager of Sandia’s Access Delay Technology Department, says, “DOE
and Sandia have been closely tracking ADT developments and have recognized its potential to enhance the
protection of DOE nuclear facilities. This has been confirmed by conducting a feasibility study in 2002, under the
supervision of researcher Jim Pacheco.”
Acting on the feasibility study’s conclusions, SSA’s Carl Pocratsky (SO-20) initiated an effort at Sandia to explore
and develop a small Active Denial System (ADS) that is more suitable for DOE fixed-site applications. To date,
DoD efforts have focused on larger systems, considered by many to be better suited for military applications at
extended ranges.
In 2004, the AFRL’s Human Effectiveness Directorate (HEDR) completed a study that analyzed pre-existing test
data to estimate the potential effectiveness of an ADS that has a smaller beam. Also in 2004, Sandia conducted
simulations of how the smaller ADS might be used and how it would perform against adversary attack scenarios
within a DOE facility using the Joint Conflict and Tactical Simulation (JCATS) software modeling tool.
“The results of the AFRL small beam ADS effectiveness study and the JCATS study were very encouraging and
provided a strong basis for continuing the development of a comparitively small ADS for DOE fixed-site
applications,” says Pacheco.
“Recently there has been significant progress with this project,” says Willy Morse, Sandia’s principal investigator.
“On May 5 we took acceptance of the SSA ADS prototype system built by Raytheon’s Advanced Electromagnetic
Technologies (AET) Center in partnership with CPI and Malibu Research. Initial characterization and performance
tests were completed at the end of May.”
On May 19 a memorandum of understanding was completed between DOE-SSA, Sandia, DoD-OFT, and AFRL.
This memorandum establishes a formal partnership between the DoD and DOE in developing small-sized ADSs.
During the next six months the AFRL’s Human Effectiveness Directorate, Brooks City-Base, is being funded by the
OFT to complete human effects testing. This testing will use the SSA ADS system to determine its effectiveness
for DOD applications and validate the conclusions of the 2004 small-beam-size effectiveness study sponsored by
SSA.
Testing results from Sandia, AFRL, and OFT will guide the operational concept and design of a second-
generation small-size ADS system expected to be fielded at several DOE nuclear facilities as early as 2008. DOE-
SSA and Sandia will continue to actively seek opportunities to collaborate with other government agencies on
technical issues associated with developing and deploying ADS systems.
System uses beam of electromagnetic energy to heat human
Active Denial Technology (ADT) provides an effective nonlethal active-response mechanism to disperse, disturb,
distract, and establish the intent of intruders.
ADT emits a 95 GHz non-ionizing electromagnetic beam of energy that penetrates approximately 1/64 of an inch
into human skin tissue, where nerve receptors are concentrated. Within seconds, the beam will heat the exposed
skin tissue to a level where intolerable pain is experienced and natural defense mechanisms take over.
This intense heating sensation stops only if the individual moves out of the beam’s path or the beam is turned off.
The sensation caused by the system has been described by test subjects as feeling like touching a hot frying pan
or the intense radiant heat from a fire. Burn injury is prevented by limiting the beam’s intensity and duration.
DoD-sponsored millimeter-wave human effectiveness testing, initiated in 2001, has demonstrated ADT as both
effective and safe without any long-term effects. It is expected that the DoD-funded human effectiveness testing of
the small-beam ADS by the AFRL HEDR during the next six to eight months will validate its effectiveness and
safety as a nonlethal weapon system.
{The mass-beam ADS is the deadly counterpart to the small-beam ADS.}
Alien technology? Just say this is "The Day the Earth Stood Still".
"We Are the Eyes of the Universe Looking into the Future"
See here also.
Eyepod.Org Front Page
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