Indian Army rejects report on Microwave Weapons

Indian Army rejects report on Microwave Weapons

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – International Relations

In news

• The Indian Army has rejected a report which claimed that the Chinese army had used microwave weapons to drive Indian soldiers away from their positions in eastern Ladakh.

Key takeaways 

• These are supposed to be a type of direct energy weapons. 
• They aim highly focused energy in the form of sonic, laser, or microwaves, at a target.
• They use beams of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation to heat the water in a human target’s skin, causing pain and discomfort.
• A number of countries are thought to have developed these weapons to target both humans and electronic systems.
• Concerns have been raised on whether they can damage the eyes, or have a carcinogenic impact in the long term.

Do you know? 

• China had first put on display its “microwave weapon”, called Poly WB-1, at an air show in 2014. 
• The United States has also developed a prototype microwave-style weapon, which it calls the “Active Denial System”.
• The US apparently deployed such a weapon in Afghanistan, but withdrew it without ever using it against human targets.

Important value additions 

• In a microwave oven, an electron tube called a magnetron produces electromagnetic waves (microwaves) that bounce around the metal interior of the appliance, and are absorbed by the food.
• The microwaves agitate the water molecules in the food, and their vibration produces heat that cooks the food. 
• Foods with high water content cook faster in a microwave often than drier foods.