By Mail On Sunday Reporter

A ‘pain ray’ that blasts the enemy with unbearable heat waves has been pulled out of Afghanistan by the US military.

The Active Denial System (ADS), which cost about £42 million to develop, was on the brink of being deployed to disperse members of the Taliban as they attacked US forces.

The weapon, which causes immense pain to subjects but no lasting physical damage, was pulled from the war zone last week but US army chiefs in Afghanistan have stayed silent about the reason for the U-turn.

The ADS, which has been in development for almost 20 years, works by firing a beam of high-frequency waves at the speed of light.

The beam can cover a person’s entire body, causing agonising pain as it heats water and fat molecules beneath the skin’s surface.

The beam can hit someone up to a third of a mile away, and they are only relieved of the pain when they move out of the way.

A spokesperson from the American Department of Defence said: ‘The decision to recall the weapons back to the US was made by commanders on the ground in Afghanistan.’

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Want to bet they're going to use them in the U.S. for "crowd control" during or after the November elections? or maybe after they announce that the elections have been postponed/cancelled?

Could be useful for herding people into the "FEMA Camps" too, but the crew compartment does not appear to be armored against small-arms fire. The designer was not thinking clearly.