China Says Its New Microwave Weapon Inflicts Horrible Pain

The millimeter microwave gun causes excruciating nerve pain, said a government source.

Microwave Weapon

China says it's developing a non-lethal weapon that uses microwave radar tech to inflict horrible pain on targets.

The chief architect of the project told the Global Times — a state-run Chinese tabloid — that the weapon, which is called the Microwave Active Denial System, shoots targets with millimeter microwaves in order to cause horrible nerve pain under the skin.

Nerve Pain

China's Beijing Institute of Radio Measurement and the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation worked together to create the weapon. Spokespeople said it could be used to fight terrorism, during "maritime convoy missions," and for border defense.

The weapon has two modes: one is a focused mode for attacking individual targets, according to the Global Times, and the other is a "sector-sweep" that meant to attack large crowds. It can also be mounted to a vehicle, according to the Global Times.

Popcorn Mode

The People's Daily, which is closely aligned with the Chinese government, isn't a particularly reliable source — the same important caveat as other reports of futuristic weapons, like Russia's gun that it says can make enemies hallucinate.

But China's braggadocio about the new weapon, which the newspaper said the Chinese government might try to sell to other countries, shows that world powers are hungry for new ways to quell uprisings and control their populations.

READ MORE: China develops weapon system based on microwave radar tech [The Global Times]

More on microwave weapons: New Microwave Gun Disables Missiles and Airplanes from 10 Kilometers Away