Air Force demonstrates non-lethal weapons

U.S. troops throughout the world are involved in complex peace-keeping operations that often require the use of non-lethal force.

The Active Denial System, a weapon that meets the criteria for non-lethal force, was demonstrated to the media Wednesday morning at Moody Air Force Base.

The ADS is a non-lethal, long range, energy weapon. The system projects a focused beam of electromagnetic millimeter waves up to 500 meters to induce an intolerable heating sensation on an adversary’s skin, repelling the individual without causing injury.

Personnel involved with this evolution in warfare technology gathered at Moody to discuss alternatives for peacetime and wartime missions. Theodore Barna, assistant deputy under the Secretary of Defense, began by saying, “We are defining emerging technology needed by warfighters, then putting the effective technological advances in the hands of our warfighters.”