After more than 10 years of development at a cost of more than $40 million, Raytheon’s “Vehicle-Mounted Active Denial System” is nearly ready for deployment as a new weapon in the imperialist arsenal.
The VMADS transmits a beam up to 700 yards that makes water molecules beneath the victim’s skin bubble. It produces a sensation similar to being burned by a hot iron. Testing of the VMADS has shown that it can damage the corneas of Rhesus monkeys. (CounterPunch, May 28)
Researchers at the Loma Linda University medical center claim that cataracts and cancer are among the other possible long-term negative health effects. (Mother Jones, March 8)
Ostensibly developed as a “non-lethal” tool for crowd control, it has obvious military applications. Deployment of the weapon, which is made to be mounted on Humvees, is slated to begin in Iraq in 2010, though some claim tests there have already begun.
