"We're not always going to kill people in our sights, sometimes we just want them to stop what they're doing … active denial weaponry is key to all of this," Lieutenant General Bradley Heithold, AFSOC commander, told the Directed Energy Summit, as quoted by IHS Jane's.
I must look for new ways to defend the AC-130, lasers offer a solution —LtGen Heithold #DirectedEnergy15 @BoozAllen pic.twitter.com/VaBKuy5CWn
— CSBA (@CSBA_) 28 июля 2015
Sometimes all we want to do is disperse the enemy, active denial weapons offer a tool for that —LtGen Heithold #DirectedEnergy15 @BoozAllen
— CSBA (@CSBA_) 28 июля 2015
The Active Denial System (ADS), often referred to as heat or pain rays, is meant to quickly heat the surface of the skin causing unbearable pain by firing a beam of 94-Ghz microwaves. The beam affects only the surface of the skin but does not cause any lasting damage. Hence ADS is considered to be a non-lethal weapon.
Panel: Directed Energy is not just laser, it's also microwave. DE represents a revolution in defense. #DirectedEnergy15
— Booz Allen Hamilton (@BoozAllen) 28 июля 2015
Similar systems are in development in Russia, but they are not meant to be used against machinery, not people. In July, Russia’s United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation (UIMC), part of Rostec Corporation, announced that it developed a super-high-frequency gun.
Informally called the microwave gun, it is capable of deactivating the radio electronics of UAVs and the assault elements of precision weapons. The gun boasts an impact range of 6.2 miles and has a defense perimeter of 360 degrees.
The AC-130J Ghostrider has a maximum range of 2,530 miles. It is equipped with a 30 mm ATK GAU-23/A autocannon, a 105 mm M102 Howitzer, AGM-176 Griffin missiles and GBU-44/B Viper Strike munitions, as well as AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.
The US Air Force operates AC-130U Spooky and AC-130W Stinger II variations, while the AC-130J Ghostrider is expected to enter service in the coming years.
The AC-130 gunship seem like something a 5 year old would design. Like, let's take a big plane and put a bunch of big guns on the side.
— The Lost Brony (@TheLostBrony) 20 мая 2015
