Context: The Indian Army has rejected as “baseless and fake” a report in the British daily newspaper which had quoted a Chinese professor to claim that the Chinese army had used “microwave weapons” to drive Indian soldiers away from their positions in eastern Ladakh.

What are “microwave weapons”?

• “Microwave weapons” are supposed to be a type of direct energy weapons, which aim highly focused energy in the form of sonic, laser, or microwaves, at a target.
• These weapons use “beams of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation to heat the water in a human target’s skin, causing pain and discomfort”.

Which countries have these “microwave weapons”?

• A number of countries are thought to have developed these weapons to target both humans and electronic systems.
• 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

Have “microwave weapons” been used in the past?

• The US apparently deployed such a weapon in Afghanistan, but withdrew it without ever using it against human targets.

How dangerous are these weapons?

• Concerns have been raised on whether they can damage the eyes, or have a carcinogenic impact in the long term.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/microwave-weapons-india-china-7056441/

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