Baghdad
The U.S. military is deploying a new sonic weapon in Baghdad this month that has never before been used in the field. The device, a megaphone the size of a satellite dish, delivers an earsplitting noise so intense that it can knock people to their knees. “For most people, even if they plug their ears, it will produce the equivalent of an instant migraine,” said Woody Norris, chairman of American Technology Corp., which developed the weapon. But if used for too long or at close range, it can cause intense pain and permanent deafness. In Iraq, the megaphone is intended as a nonlethal method of riot control. It was developed after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole, off of Yemen, as a way to keep boats from approaching U.S. warships.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Zohran Mamdani: the young progressive likely to be New York City's next mayorIn The Spotlight The policies and experience that led to his meteoric rise
-
The best film reboots of all timeThe Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material
-
'More must be done'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
