Sound and light weapons have been used for a relatively long time and appeared as counter-terrorist non-lethal special means. Later, its merits were appreciated by the units used for protesters on the streets. Those who have not experienced the damaging effect of such devices on themselves usually believe that they are "not very dangerous" and "sufficiently humane." In this post I will try to tell you all about the “humanity” of sound and light weapons, which are used to suppress protests, as well as describe the consequences of their use and the means of protection against it. I will try to focus on the special means that are already being used on the streets of Minsk, as well as those that, according to some telegram channels, are planning to use against the protesters.
A bit of history
For many centuries, sound has been considered as a damaging factor in weapons of various kinds. It is known that at the dawn of the emergence and mass use of firearms, the loud sound of a shot was assessed as an advantage and an additional psychological factor of influence. Interestingly, in the 20th century, several lethal sonic weapons were proposed. The most famous German
Wallauschek's installation was called Schallkanone (German for "Sound Cannon"). A working prototype appeared in 1944. A parabolic reflector with a diameter of 3250 mm was supplied with an injector, which was equipped with an ignition system. A mixture of oxygen and methane was fed into the combustion chamber (to be precise, into the explosion chamber, since the combustion process took place instantaneously). Over equal intervals of time, the mixture ignited and exploded, which led to continuous emission of sound with a range of 20 to 60 Hz and sound pressure above 190 dB at a distance of 60 m. American scientists in the Intelligence Bulletin for May 1946 noted that: “ ... at a distance of up to 60 meters from the emitter, the intensity of the impact is such that a person dies ... the weapon is of dubious military significance due to its short range. "
A similar device was used much later, in 2012, a device with the same name was presented in Germany. Kassel's sonic cannon is used to suppress street protests, and, according to the creators, is a non-lethal weapon.
The developers do not disclose the technical parameters of the device, but they say that the directional range of the device is 100 meters, and also that even when hearing protection is used, people in the affected area experience dizziness and nausea “as a result of strong vibrations in the body”.
Light, as well as sound, has long been used as a damaging factor. Suffice it to recall the light radiation of an atomic bomb, powerful searchlights that cut through the night sky in search of enemy aircraft, as well as numerous options for non-lethal weapons, ranging from powerful, blinding police lights and ending with disorienting laser installations.
What was used to disperse the Belarusian protests?
Today, special forces of various countries of the world, as the main version of light and sound non-lethal weapons, use flash-noise grenades, blinding searchlights, powerful sound emitters on cars. According to the observer of the Belarusian portal tut.by, Denis Burkovsky, Czech stun grenades manufactured by ZEVETA AMMUNITION were used to suppress protests in Minsk. The main damaging factor of this non-lethal weapon is sound, depending on the distance in the radius of destruction of the ammunition (15 - 20 m) at the moment of the explosion, a sound pressure of 160 to 180 dB is created. In this case, the luminous intensity reaches 60 million cd.
Some sources in Telegram channels claim that the security forces in Brest and Minsk also used Russian-made grenades, in particular, the "Flame-M" and the multi-element grenade "Fakel". The former are practically identical in characteristics to the Czech ammunition described above, and the Fakel differs in the spread of a large number of light emitting elements, which increases the area of light damage. In this case, the luminous intensity of each element is at least 10 million cd. It was these ammunition, according to telegram sources, that left many bright flashes resembling fireworks, exploding next to a crowd of protesters. The "Fakel" has a less pronounced sound effect, a sound pressure of at least 145 dB was detected in the radius of destruction.
It is also reported about the possible use of combined light-noise traumatic ammunition of an unidentified sample for 40-mm hand grenade launchers, seen by the security forces on August 9-11. This ammunition may include additional non-lethal submunitions such as rubber and plastic balls that fly apart when exploded.
It is also assumed that the Belarusian security forces will use PN-14 complexes during the violent suppression of regular protests. Similar special equipment with powerful laser and sound emitters are in service with the Russian Guard. Due to the fact that there are no characteristics of the Belarusian complex, I will describe what is used in Russia. According to media reportsThe Rosgvardeytsev system is capable of creating a continuous directional sound pressure of 135 dB at a distance of 10 m from the source, as well as causing temporary blindness. It is mentioned that the installation uses laser emitters. A sympathetic employee of the Belarusian OMON in one of the telegram channels described the action of the Belarusian installation as follows:
“… In Minsk, today in many large cities it is planned to use the PN-14 complexes, similar to those of the Russian Guard. In a nutshell, they emit a strong sound wave and cause hellish pain in the ears, as well as emit light vibrations and cause no less unbearable pain in the eyes. " (source spelling preserved)
The description of the damaging factors of the system and a direct indication that a similar one is used in the Russian Guard gives reason to believe that this is something similar to the very sensational Russian Guard car in the media.
What can these special means and how to protect themselves from them?
Flashbang grenades, depending on the strength, blind, stun and disorient for a few seconds or minutes. The most powerful ammunition of this type in Minsk was ZEVETA AMMUNITION, with a predominantly sound type of defeat. According to the protesters, who were affected by this ammunition on the street. Pushkinskaya and Serebryanka microdistrict, the sound is so strong that it causes pain in the ears, some also have an attack of panic fear, which is especially dangerous with a large crowd of people, it is enough to recall the Minsk tragedy at st. metro Nemiga. Similarly, we can talk about flash-noise grenades of other types, with the proviso that from the "Torches" they become more blind and less deaf. Studies have shown that deafness after exposure to a flashbang can last for about 6 hours.
Sound pressure in excess of 140-145 dB can rupture the tympanic membrane. In order to prevent this from happening, it is necessary to use hearing protection. It is best to use tactical (shooting) active headphones. If there are none, you can use passive construction headphones or, as a last resort, full-size closed-type active noise canceling headphones. The latter are not designed to compensate for such a powerful noise level as construction, but they are able to partially protect the hearing organs.
One of the rescue options are earplugs, they, like any other passive means, do not guarantee full hearing protection, but they reduce the risk of hearing loss. In extreme cases, you should close your eyes, as well as cover your ears with your hands and try to open your mouth, yell or yawn at the moment of the explosion. This allows you to maximize the eustachian tube and reduce the pressure on the eardrum. It does not always work, but in the absence of other means of protection, it can help.
The American Speech-Language Hearing Association considers it unsafe for even short-term exposure to sound pressure from flash grenades. Repeated exposure to them without protective equipment can have long-term consequences. Therefore, if you suddenly live near a favorite place for holding protests, stock up on protective equipment.
There is no specific first aid for hearing loss with a flash grenade. The main thing is not to wash your ears with anything and do not remove anything from them yourself. If the stunning is prolonged, see an otolaryngologist if possible. He is unlikely to be in a temporary detention center, therefore, if possible, avoid detention after receiving a hearing loss.
As the world practice has shown, the detained deafened run the risk of causing great aggression of the security forces, due to the fact that they do not hear them and are unable to respond to their demands, which increases the likelihood of additional injuries during detention and, as it happens, after it. If you suspect you have damage to the eardrum, you can (in the absence of contraindications and allergies) take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory.
Important! Do not take drugs that you have never used before, as taking them can be complicated by anaphylactic shock. Its consequences in the conditions of street protest will be guaranteed fatal.
Besides the effects on hearing, the direct effect on the eyes is blindness. The range from 10 to 60 million cd is extremely dangerous. In addition to short-term blindness, such a flash can deprive a person of sight for a long time, cases are described when the use of SSG blinds for several minutes, and also causes intense pain when the affected person opens his eyes and looks at the light (this effect lasts about 30-60 minutes).
The latter is associated with a violation of the normal protective reaction of the brain to a superstrong light stimulus. It is better to protect yourself from such intense light radiation by closing your eyes and turning away in the opposite direction, you can also use opaque shelters. I've heard advice to wear sunglasses. I believe that they will not have a sufficient effect.
No matter how weak the charge in the SHG is, it can cause mechanical damage and cause burns. They use magnesium and, presumably, potassium perchlorate as an explosive, and the combustion of the mixture provides a bright flash and a loud sound when detonated. The combustion temperature of magnesium is about 3000 K (2726.85 degrees Celsius). SshG practically does not give fragments. Meanwhile, allegedly at the Minsk protests, one of the grenades caused an explosive injury to the protester's foot. Many have dealt with burns.
Typical injuries from SSG look like this (nothing very scary, but it is better for the faint of heart and children to refrain from watching
Such injuries require first aid. Stopping bleeding (venous - pressing bandage on the wound, arterial - applying a tourniquet above the wound in places where you can press the artery to the bone). If the bone is damaged, the affected limb must be immobilized. Burns should be covered with a sterile dressing and kept cool. The latter is often forgotten, but this is very important, since the skin has a high heat capacity, and the degree of burn can be aggravated over time. If something has torn off (for example, a finger), if possible, you need to find it, and (if possible) transfer it to an ambulance together with the victim in a sterile bag.
The force of the explosion of such grenades is relatively small, from 1000 to 2000 thermochemical calories, (from 4184 to 8368 Joules, or 1 - 2 g in TNT equivalent), but it is enough to cause injury and even death if it explodes in the immediate vicinity. A 2015 US police and hospital investigation by ProPublica found that flash grenades had killed at least 50 people in the United States in 15 years of police use. The Supreme Court of North Carolina, recognized the UWG as a "weapon that leads to mass death and destruction." According to ProPublica, published by the BBC, the statistics provided in the study are only a small fraction of actual deaths. often the cause of death in mass protests is difficult to pinpoint.
Combined ammunition, which includes rubber buckshot, is especially dangerous. In the immediate vicinity of the explosion of such a grenade, rubber buckshot can act as full-fledged fragments, causing open damage to soft tissues and even cavity penetrating wounds.
"Magic" cars with light-acoustic installations act like flash-noise grenades, with the only difference that the former can reproduce sound and light continuously, which, obviously, causes a more pronounced psychological effect. Also, their range is limited by the power of the emitter, while grenades are thrown and fired from grenade launchers. We can say that the installations on the car are more humane, due to the fact that they are not capable of causing mechanical injuries (not counting the cases of collision in an accident, of course).
As a conclusion
For several days now, no brutal detentions have been carried out in the streets of Minsk and no special means have been used. But the protests continue, and the authorities are transparently hinting that the violent confrontation may continue. I sincerely hope that the described recommendations will not have to be applied and the situation will be resolved without a forceful scenario. If something else happens, I hope that the recommendations will help people who fall under the distribution to preserve their health, protect themselves, or at least reduce the damaging effect of light and sound weapons.
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