[Ads-l] LRAD; sound cannon

[Jonathan Lighter]

I

Not in OED. 'A weapon or device that emits focused sound waves to kill,
frighten,or debilitate. (Orig. in science fiction.)'

1938 Ed Earl Repp, "Song of Death," in _Amazing Stories_ (Nov.) 30:  One
shot from the high-powered sound "cannon" and it writhed for a second and
then died.

2003 William Yenne _Secret Weapons of World War II_ (N.Y.: Berkley) 142:
Designed by Dr. Richard Wallauschek, the Stichhaltiger Cannon (Sound
Cannon) consisted of large paraboloid reflectors connected to a chamber
composed of several subunits firing tubes that fed a mixture of methane and
oxygen into the combustion chamber. [Etc.]...Humans would be killed at a
distance of 150 feet and  incapacitated at up to a quarter of a mile. [At
least] one such weapon was built. It was captured by American forces. In
2001 this writer proposed that such a weapon might be useful in attacking
and destroying al-Qaeda terrorists  hiding in caves in Afghanistan.

2006 _Baxter Bulletin_ (Mountain Home, Ark) (March 11) 3A [Newspapers.com]:
The Arkansas Forestry Department gave Lakeview police officers a sound
cannon whch was intended to scare the birds away.

2008 Peter David _The Incredible Hulk_ (N.Y.: Del Rey) 194: Blonsky
snatched up an M-4 assault rifle from near the crushed sound cannon and
raced at the monster.

2026 _N.Y. Post_  (Jan. 15)
[https://nypost.com/2026/01/15/world-news/alongside-rumors-of-mystery-sonic-weapon-these-are-the-new-technologies-which-will-shape-us-warfare/]:
Emitted from sound cannons for extended periods, the sonic boom blasts are
out at more than 140 decibels, which is as loud as a gunshot or a jet
taking off at very close range, volume categorized by American Academy of
Audiology as “painful and dangerous.”  “They can do more than freak out an
enemy. They can physically incapacitate him,” the source warned.

II

LRAD. Not in OED. 'A type of sound cannon.'

2005 _Bradford Non-Lethal Weapons Project Research Report No. 7_ (Bradford,
Eng.: U. of Bradford) 44:  We have described the Long Range Acoustic Device
(LRAD) manufactured by American Technology Corporation in previous reports.

JL

-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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