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Marines Fund Non-lethal Heat Ray

By Colin Clark Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 11:56 am
Posted in Land

Reporters can be really dumb. There I was in front of Raytheon’s booth at the Association of the US Army’s conference with a little button under my thumb. I hit the button. My lower thoracic area got very hot, very fast. So I waited for the machine to recycle and hit the button again. This time the pain was more intense — I wasn’t screaming or anything — and my skin felt like it was about to catch fire.

I didn’t do this just to make you all chuckle. The idea was to see what the Marines will probably buy from Raytheon with $25 million buried deep in the summer supplemental spending bill. The Marines haven’t signed the contract — yet — but negotiations are well under way for five nonlethal Silent Guardian systems . It looks as if the system will be used in Afghanistan to help protect high value assets as well as bases.

The system beams millimeter wave energy at the speed of light for more than 250 meters and penetrates the top layer of the skin. As soon as you move away from the beam the pain stops, although there is a nagging sensation of pain for few moments afterwards. The antenna covers a full 360 degrees and the beam can be used to sweep across a crowd or to target one person at a time. It’s got safety cutoffs so it doesn’t cause permanent damage, according to John Patterson, a Raytheon spokesman.

The Silent Guardian is one variant of Raytheon’s Active Denial Systems, most of which provide area-wide protections against weapons such as missiles.

Non-lethals have been in development for a very long time. The first big burst of enthusiasm hit in the mid-1990s when the Pentagon created its first non-lethal office. Most of those technologies foundered — such as sticky foam — among concerns that non-lethals might hurt people, which always seemed ironic given that high velocity bullets and bombs are considered legal.

In addition to the Marines, the National Institute of Justice is investigating development of a much smaller version of Silent Guardian for police and other homeland security forces.

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	marduk185 October 9th, 2008 at 12:12 pm this technology has me a bit confused. if marines are engaging legitimate threats to democracy shouldnt they use deadly force? if not, are they saying we want marines to use these devices against unarmed civilian populations? not clear what situation would dictate this necessity…are we becoming china?
	John October 9th, 2008 at 1:02 pm marduk185. Your just a dumb ass. Sit down before you hurt yourself!!!
	Rich October 9th, 2008 at 1:15 pm Scrap the heat gun ! Give the grunts the 25 mil for there family’s back home. Tell RAYTHEON to go home and make POPCORN ! What good is your little heat gun after your buddy gets a round in his head !
	WILLIAM RULE October 9th, 2008 at 1:21 pm I do not think so. We have to protect ourselves and our properties. Simple as that nothing is difficult if you have a good brain and head on your shoulders. Do not be affraid.
	Dead man walking October 9th, 2008 at 1:23 pm Hmm . . A perfect toy to use for some of my annoying neighbors.
	MOAYEED AHMED October 9th, 2008 at 1:29 pm but doesn’t need a solider close to it to turned on and off!! what that would hurt his as well as it will hurt our guys, it is good technology but not smart enough because it cant recognize the enemy from our guys. NEEDS MORE WORK ON.
	Rich October 9th, 2008 at 1:31 pm My neighbor has one ” HIS WIFE’s pretty hot !
	Mrchecksix October 9th, 2008 at 1:31 pm Mahatma Ghandi was the first con-man to pull the “passive resistance” un-armed civilian trick. It works against ethical countries like the USA and the UK where its soldiers will not fire against un-armed civilians. His “commie” type action contributed to the loss of India by the British. This weapon is excellent. If the “civilians” are told to disperse from a given area and they do not, then they are providing cover for the terrorists. Use the Heat-Ray and turn it to max power. They should feel the heat until they see the light.
	c. griffith October 9th, 2008 at 1:37 pm Dont believe the intent is to repel an attack, more so to add an additional element to make em’ think twice, then be very very uncomfortable should they go ahead with the attack anyway. A preoccupied [with burning] enemy is a lousy shot and great target.
	Roy October 9th, 2008 at 1:41 pm I think this is a waste of time and money. Marines are fighters not policemen.…..!!!!
	Mo October 9th, 2008 at 1:42 pm Another White Elephant to suck taxers hard earned dollars from. Might work on a civilized society (then why have one, CS gas, rubber bullets and fire hoses works just a good and doesn’t cost you $25 million dollars either) but we’re talking organized and armed gurrellias with bad attitudes taught with the U.S. seal of approval during the soviet ocupation days. Phasers on stun Scotty!
	Jdar October 9th, 2008 at 1:44 pm They’ve got it all wrong. Don’t heat um, freeze um. Spray them down with liquid nitrogen fol owed by a burst of 7.62 mini gun. Then tell them to disperse or we will have Obama call the U.N.
	Herman W. Hill, Jr. October 9th, 2008 at 2:01 pm I saw this demonstrated on the Military Channel some months ago and it doesn’t seem to be a joke, either! it seems like a good passive system (in a manner of speaking), that could be used in lieu of lethal or deadly force. Especially around installation sensitive areas, like restricted areas, sensitive storage facilities, and crowd control. At least its an alternative and will get the perp to “move” and quite quickly!!!!! (Burn them britches!)))
	marduk185 October 9th, 2008 at 2:01 pm so you are advocating us marines using these against unarmed masses…thatll do wonders for pr. way to win the hearts and minds check six.
	FRANK October 9th, 2008 at 2:03 pm Ok…You can bet if they have this, they (Raytheon)have done more R&D on a lethal heat ray system. I find it very interesting that the powers above us would publish this information. If we have this technology, you can almost bet others have it as well. Why provide this information to the public? “WHO,” decides what is classified and secret information these days? Seems to me something has gone very wrong in this area.
	Herman October 9th, 2008 at 2:06 pm Where in the world did all these pacifists and Rambo pukes come from. This is an alternative to lethal force. The backup is the weapon you use so well. Give Op4 the opportunity (however slight) to decide whether he wants to risk removal “with extreme prejudice” or burn his britches a little bit? In a hostile enviornment like a FEBA, forgetaboutit! Hang One on’em! And watch the pieces tumble to da earth! Cover! Cover! (giggle) Cover!
	Bill Gordon L. Stafford October 9th, 2008 at 2:07 pm With Barracko Bama sworn in President, we will need a brigade of heat guns operators to guard Fort Knox.
	Do the math October 9th, 2008 at 2:11 pm Lets see there’s a million people in the US armed forces… thats a whopping $25 bucks each! :/ The problem nowadays (like it ever was) the combatants are civilians who use their families as human shields or worse and blast the US with propaganda when they all get killed. As long as the generally ignorant world population thinks WE are the reprehensible ones, we have to resort to ridiculous extremes to protect our soldiers and installations. Even if it means sponding $25M on a gadget that a half dozen marines could do just as well. We probably should spend the $25M telling the world to wake up, turn off the TV, and stop being a stupid mob of fags. BTW, Moayeed, its directional…
	Dano October 9th, 2008 at 2:36 pm 25 million and can be killed by a hundred dollar r p g! Not a good buy even for Uncle Sam!
	SEMPER FI DO or DIE October 9th, 2008 at 2:42 pm Marine’s do not need a heat ray. One shot One Kill.. That is how it was done when I was in the CORP and it should continue. I agree with RICH give that money to our families that lost a family member. Raytheon get out of the weapons busn. and go talk to GE and make a better microwave. Semper Fi — URAH!!!!
	anthony bauwens October 9th, 2008 at 3:05 pm Lets hope they dont get on our streets like lots of other weaponary!
	little feet October 9th, 2008 at 3:42 pm these weapons have been in use;since 2005,they have been deployed in IRAC/IRAN,they do work,both for single targets as well as “groups.you cannot fight if your internal body fluids go from 98.6degrees to 130degrees in like 3 seconds! ! !thankfully the weapon has a “depth“penetration of 1/64 th of an inch,and a semi-max range of like 700yds.They are trying to make the hummvee sized weapon smaller and “man” sized for more selective dispursment.I am guessing that a small one would only have a minimal range of approx 300′,and would prob weigh in at 120-150lbs.I personally think that ANY crowd control weapon is a GOOD thing!!
	Retired USAF October 9th, 2008 at 4:26 pm Seems like a great weapon for stopping someone from coming through the gates until backup arrives. Then you can hose them if necessary. Like was mentioned, a hot guy with a gun will not shoot well. 100 guys coming up on a base guarded by 12 Marines turn this on and call for back-up. 100 guys are then met with 100 guys with guns and the fear of getting hotter under the collar. 25Mil is a lot but if it saves on life it is worth it? I think so. I would hope it has some armor on it so a single RPG does not take it out.
	alex DHS October 9th, 2008 at 5:03 pm what is the big stink over this machine.The united states has become a country of pansies. Do we really think the enemy would have such consideration for our troops.How many men and women have we lost already?? Good that it is non-lethal,but blast their asses at full strngth.Those radicals deserve no mercy. How about Bar-B-Q– Bin Laden and his criminals.We have to stop being so damn soft before we become a third world country…Think about it
	Camp Bucca October 9th, 2008 at 8:26 pm Forget using that on the frontlines, just use real weapons. However, give that to the guys that work in the detainee camps to help control riots! I think they’ld appreciate it.
	WobblyOne October 10th, 2008 at 4:54 am I can see use for this by Marines guarding embassies ’round the world. Would make a very good first-choice weapon to target individuals who were, say, trying to scale the gate. I was at the AUSA convention in DC last October and witnessed a fellow (this reporter, maybe?) who got tagged with this. His reaction was pretty impressive. I would think that a determined foe might push through the pain and invite two rounds COM. Someone less committed might think twice.
	srosteve October 10th, 2008 at 5:19 am I would agree with the majority of the opinions thus far. This could be a useful domestic weapon, however, from the picture above it appears one rpg or IED could eliminate this as a threat. I always thought in times of WAR (that’s what they keep calling it) that the primary objective was to complete a mission with as few casualties as possible. I didn’t realize that meant enemy casualties.
	jdmacd7 October 10th, 2008 at 7:29 am sounds great for the u.s. border patrol!!
	armamentguru October 10th, 2008 at 7:44 am This would be a great device to deploy to the fobs over in Iraq and Afghanistan. Imagine those insurgents trying to sneak up on a fob and crawling right into the path, the sudden movement of them trying to get away from the “Heat” will attract attention. Our brothers and sisters over there already have enough of a hassle with the rules of engagement and this could deter some attacks from happening.
	Akin Fadugba Nigeria October 10th, 2008 at 11:25 am Raytheon Co. is helping transform US war fighting capabilities by delivering a short-range millimeter-wave directed energy non-lethal weapon to the Department of Defense’s Full Spectrum Effects Platform (FSEP) program — also known as Project Sheriff — for the Office of Force Transformation (OFT). OFT, in partnership with the US Army’s Futures Center and the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), is developing an operational prototype to provide forces fighting in complex urban environments with new options and a combination of lethal and non-lethal capabilities in responding to threats. By developing an operational package of vehicles that can be quickly outfitted and deployed in active operations, OFT will provide combat forces the opportunity to more quickly test tactics, techniques and procedures for new urban combat capabilities.
	Arnel A October 11th, 2008 at 6:43 am I am an electronic enthusiast and I like how the Marines evolves regarding arms capability. Arms in any manner and application are fuelled by the dire needs. AOA!.
	waynerd October 11th, 2008 at 4:22 pm It took me about 60 seconds to come up with a defeat for this wonder weapon Anyone here remember tin foil? dumb asses
	waynerd October 11th, 2008 at 4:26 pm Good one Dano I can go you one better How about a $3.99 roll of tin foil?
	larry l owens October 12th, 2008 at 9:28 am What a great start: I have often thought that a beam or ray calibrated to cause an explosive to spontaniously combust (burn rather than explode) would the greatest defense against a suicide bomber. Call it the “rath of god”: and once the stuff is ignighted just let the scum-bag burn: a couple of displays of that and the suicide bomber stuff might disapear altogeather. You could douse anyone approaching: and if they are holding they are burned.
	aircuellar October 16th, 2008 at 5:44 am Everyone is so worried about giving Raytheon 25 million. That is nothing compared to the Billions we are giving to the rich Bank CEOs for ruining the economy. Our government made the banks lower the lending standards to people who could not afford a home with the pressure of the Acorn group whos’ lawyer was Barac Obama. I am proud to were the uniform and serve with you fine gentlemen, but soldiers, you got to see that this governments’ corruptness is at an all time high. We have fought for less. Boston Tea Party. We are letting these guys do what ever they want without representation. We must be keeping entertained by our T.V. and computers because it is insane that this is happening to our government.
	derrick October 16th, 2008 at 2:27 pm how ridiculous. I think a lethal “Non-Silent Guardian” would be cheaper. Also more effective. hhahaha
	Tony November 6th, 2009 at 4:51 pm Well said herman…in opposition to using lethal weapons this seems to be a great tool. Not only will is act as a deturant, but implications being something on the lines as, the terrorist using women and children to hind behind, terrorists using buildings such as schools, religious sanctuaries, and hospitals.….ok idea not finished but got to get going to my next class. Herman fight on! HUA!

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