In his Life of Crassus, Plutarch recounts a tale of how the Parthinian army used an interesting form of psychological warfare. Unlike the Romans, who used horns and trumpets to incite themselves to battle, the Parthinians used hollowed-out drums covered with bronze bells that produced, “a low and dismal tone, a blend of wild beast's roar and harsh thunder peal.”
They had rightly judged that, of all the senses, hearing is the one most apt to confound the soul, soonest rouses its emotions, and most effectively unseats the judgment.
This ancient method of using acoustics for psychological effect against an enemy will soon be getting a modern update. Marines deploying to Iraq this month to relieve the Army will be bringing with them a new non-lethal weapon called a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD). According to a report in the LA Times:
The device is a powerful megaphone the size of a satellite dish that can deliver recorded warnings in Arabic and, on command, emit a piercing tone so excruciating to humans, its boosters say, that it causes crowds to disperse, clears buildings and repels intruders.
Indeed, the LRAD emits a pulse in the “subjectively intolerable” range of 150 db, just 35 decibels short of the minimum required to burst an eardrum. Since the pulse is used for just a short duration, the pain, while excruciating, is unlikely to lead to long-term damage.
As former Army Chief of Staff General Dennis Reimer said in 1996, “We need to provide our soldiers an alternative to deadly force…Non-lethal weapons provide this alternative while retaining the capability to protect our soldiers and non-combatants in complex and potentially volatile situation.” Adoption of NLWs, though, has been a slow process. So it’s encouraging to see the Marine Corps, which has been at the forefront of developing NLWs since the mid-’90s, use them in their new mission. The LRAD will be a powerful tool in helping the Marines maintain order in the Sunni Triangle – and in keeping our troops alive.
1
Just blast at 160dB anything from the pop top 40 and it'll probably have the same effect.....
posted on 03.11.2004 8:14 PM2
"Just blast at 160dB anything from the pop top 40 and it'll probably have the same effect....."
Pretty much though it is not ordnary sound and LRAD directs the sound so the person standing behind it doesn't get blasted also - a problem with old style acoustic weapons. It will also cause the skull to resonate so ear plugs are not going to help much, I believe it will work on deaf people also.
posted on 03.14.2004 7:06 PM