Gay Bombs and Other Weird Non-lethal Weapons

Yes, it’s true. In 1994, the United States Department of Defense actually considered building a “gay bomb”, according to a document unearthed through the Freedom of Information Act by the Sunshine Project, a military watchdog organization. This document originated from the U.S. Air Force Laboratory at the Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. This “love bomb”, as it’s called in the document, would emit a chemical that caused enemy soldiers to be sexually irresistible to each other, thus demeaning their fighting morale and bringing new meaning to the old slogan “Make Love, Not War.”

“Who? Me?”

According to the Air Force Lab document, another non-lethal project considered was the “Who? Me?” bomb that emitted a chemical making enemy combatants smell as if they were strongly flatulent, yet another method of depleting morale.

Similarly, a “halitosis” bomb was considered. It would also make a combatant smelly; perhaps not a bad idea particularly when dealing with today’s enemy who hides among the civilian population as a common tactic, using innocent people as human shields.

Buggin’

Another non-lethal chemical weapon, when sprayed on enemy combatants attracted bees, mosquitoes, wasps and other insects that were known to attack humans.

In response to the Sunshine Group’s report, Marine Corps spokesman claimed that these proposals reflected in this document were just part of a typical brainstorming session at the Air Force Lab.

Non-lethal weapons for real

There are, of course, other unusual non-lethal weapons that seem like science fiction or a bad Saturday Night Live sketch; but, they’re more than proposals. They’re either actually in use today, or in the process of approval.

“Active Denial” is a real weapon that emits a strong laser beam that penetrates the enemy’s skin a mere 1/64 of an inch, creating the painful yet non-lethal sensation of being on fire.

“The Long Range Acoustic Device” is a megaphone-like weapon that emits a high-decibel noise. This is used primarily to disperse hostile crowds prone to riot.

The Pentagon has also developed an anti-traction gel that some have described as “liquid ball bearings” because it makes any surface too slippery to walk or drive. And, when applied to a door knob, it makes the knob too slippery to turn.

There’s even a Spiderman-like device called “The Portable Vehicle Arresting Barrier” where a heavy duty elastic web springs up and forms an instant roadblock that can stop a 7500-pound truck traveling at 45 mph, wrapping around the vehicle and trapping the vehicle’s occupants inside.

Many of these weapons and others are being used in Iraq today.

SOURCES:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4174519.stm

“Sex bomb et al”, Kelly Beaucar Vlahos, Fox News, URL: (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,146087,00.html)

http://www.thenewatlantis.com/archive/9/soa/nonlethal.htm

“Beyond the rubber bullet”, Lev Grossman, Time, URL: (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,322588,00.html)