Sonic Weapons

Context:

Protesters in Belgrade, Serbia, recently accused authorities of deploying sonic weapons to disperse crowds, a claim denied by Serbian officials.

Sonic Weapons

• Sonic weapons are non-lethal tools emitting extremely loud sounds for crowd control.
• Also called sound cannons or Long-Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs).
• Emit sound waves instead of bullets for crowd management or long-distance communication.
• Unlike regular sound waves, they project loud noises up to 1 km.
• Sonic devices began for crowd control in the 1990s; first used by the US military in Iraq (2004).

How Sonic Weapons Work?

• Use transducers to convert energy and create amplified, highly concentrated sound.
• Sound directed in a narrow beam to target specific areas.
• Frequency, level, quality, and duration of sound are adjustable for crowd dispersal.

Types of Sonic Weapons:

• Long-Range Acoustic Device (LRAD):
  • Range: Up to 8,900 meters for clear speech.
  • Sound Level: Up to 160 decibels (dB), louder than a jet engine (130-140 dB) or gunshot (150 dB).
  • Effects: Pain above 140 dB; permanent hearing damage at 120 dB.
• Mosquito Device:
  • Target Audience: Younger people (teenagers, twenties).
  • Sound: Emits high-pitched tones painful to younger ears but inaudible to those 30+ years.
  • Purpose: Deters loitering or gatherings of young people.
• Infrasonic Weapons:
  • Emit very low-frequency sounds, inaudible to humans.
  • Can cause pain and disorientation.
  • Still under research; limited evidence of weaponization.

Use of Sonic Weapons under International Law

• International law does not explicitly regulate sonic weapons.
  • Their use may fall under broader principles of armed conflict and human rights.
• U.N. Charter:
  • Prohibits the use of force unless:
    • Justified by self-defense.
    • Authorized by the Security Council.
  • Sonic weapons may qualify as “use of force” if their effects resemble traditional armed attacks.
• Geneva Conventions & Additional Protocols:
  • Prohibit weapons causing:
    • Unnecessary suffering.
    • Indiscriminate harm.
  • Sonic weapons could violate these principles if they result in:
    • Excessive pain.
    • Permanent disability.
• Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW):
  • Does not have a specific ban on sonic weapons.
  • Prohibits weapons that:
    • Cause superfluous injury.
    • Have indiscriminate effects.
  • Sonic weapons could face restrictions if they meet these criteria.

Source: Indian Express

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Previous Year Question

Consider the following statements:

1. Ballistic missiles are jet-propelled at subsonic speeds throughout their flights, while cruise missiles are rocket-powered only in the initial phase of flight.
2. Agni-V is a medium-range supersonic cruise missile, while BrahMos is a solid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile.

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2023 Prelims]

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (d)

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