‘Ray gun,’ as seen on CBS, continues to be tested

Viewers who watched CBS’ 60 Minutes on Sunday night might have thought the segment on the “ray gun” heralds a newly-developed non-lethal system that is ideal for crowd control or deterring approaching bad guys, including terrorists.

Well, it’s not so new.

Grumpy Editor gave basic details on the system destined for the U.S. arsenal in a Jan. 29, 2007 posting --- four days after it was demonstrated.  At that time, the Active Denial System, touted as a “new weapon,” had been undergoing tests since 1995 with research involving more than 600 volunteers and more than 10,000 exposures.

Targeted subjects, such as terrorists and enemy troops, get socked with a blast of 130-degree heat, beamed from a small armored vehicle more than 500 yards away.  It is intense enough to give the sensation clothing is about to ignite. 

Latest to get smacked by the beam on camera was CBS Pentagon correspondent David Martin.

Not intended to kill, the invisible beam of high-energy radio frequency causes a person to recoil and flee --- as Martin demonstrated, including beam penetration through a mattress he was holding.

Why the system, involving Raytheon Co., Waltham, Mass., is taking so long to be put “on active duty” is a mystery.

As Grumpy Editor mentioned 13 months ago, prolonged testing gives the bad guys ample opportunity to develop countermeasures.