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Military Says Pain Ray Is Deployed in Afghanistan, Still Not Being Used

by Caleb Johnson on July 19, 2010 at 03:18 PM

'Pain ray' is deployed with U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Just last month, the Pentagon confirmed that its 'pain ray' weapon had been sent to Afghanistan. However, nobody would say whether or not the non-lethal device, also known as the Active Denial System, had been tested or deployed. Now, according to BBC News, Raytheon's 'pain ray,' which uses a focused invisible beam to generate an intolerable burning sensation, is being carried by U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Despite this news, Lt. Col. John Dorrian told the BBC that no decision had been made on when to use the weapon. Clearly, though, the military didn't ship it to sit in a storage facility.

Of course, the Active Denial System has generated plenty of controversy, both from people who question the ethics behind using it and from reporters who have agreed to stand in front of the invisible heat ray. We aren't military tacticians here at Switched, but, with no signs of the war abating, the pain ray stands to at least reduce civilian casualties -- even if it is a high-powered, arguably torturous laser. After all, that tactic is more effective than just dropping a bomb and hoping for the best. [From: BBC News, via: Engadget]

Tags: ActiveDenialSystem, afghanistan, AfghanistanWar, army, military, MilitaryTech, PainRay, raytheon, RaytheonCompany, top, torture, war, weapons

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