A ray that causes intense pain but (when used as directed) no lasting injury: Army Orders Pain Ray Trucks; New Report Shows ‘Potential for Death’.

After years of testing, the Active Denial System — the pain ray which drives off rioters with a microwave-like beam — could finally have its day. The Army is buying five of the truck-mounted systems for $25 million. But the energy weapon may face new hurdles, before it’s shipped off to the battlefield; a new report details how the supposedly non-lethal blaster could be turned into a flesh-frying killer.

The contract for the pain ray trucks is “expected to be awarded by year’s end,” Aviation Week notes. “A year after the contract is signed, the combination vehicle/weapons will start be fielded at the rate of one per month.”

It’s been a very long time coming. As we’ve previously reported, there have been calls to deploy the Active Denial System in Iraq going back to 2004. But it’s always been delayed for legal, political, and public relations reasons. Anything that might be condemned as torture is political dynamite. Interestingly, the version being bought is not the full-size “Version 2,” but a containerized system known as Silent Guardian, which Raytheon have been trying to sell for some time. They describe Silent Guardian as “roughly 1/3 the size and power of the other Active Denial Systems,” and quote it’s range as “greater than 250 meters.” The larger system has a range somewhere in excess of 700 meters.

(hat tip:Chuckles)