U.S. withdraws ‘pain ray’ from Afghan war zone 美國將「痛光」撤出阿富汗戰場

 ◎陳成良
A ‘pain ray’ that blasts the enemy with unbearable heat waves has been pulled out of Afghanistan by the US military.
一種能以令人無法承受的高溫波轟擊敵軍的「痛光」，已被美軍從阿富汗撤出。
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.
斥資約4200萬英鎊開發的「主動阻絕系統」（ADS），原本已接近部署邊緣，以擊退攻擊美軍部隊的神學士成員。
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.
這種能讓目標感到極大疼痛，但不會造成持續性身體傷害的武器，上周撤出戰區，但駐阿富汗美軍指揮官沒有說明決策急轉彎的理由。
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.
已發展了近20年的ADS，以光速發射高頻波光束。這種光束可完全覆蓋人體，並加熱其皮膚表面下的水和脂肪分子，從而帶來劇痛。
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.
這種射線可從遠在3分之1英里外擊中人，他們唯有脫離光束射擊的範圍，才能解除痛苦。
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.’
美國國防部一名發言人說：「將這種武器撤回美國，是阿富汗戰場指揮官所作的決定。」
Dictionary 新聞辭典
on the brink of： 片語，瀕於； 在…：之邊緣。例句：The stock market was on the brink of collapse. （股市已到崩盤的邊緣。）
U-turn：名詞，（車輛等的）迴轉；（方針、政策等的）急速轉變。例句：No U -turn! （禁止汽車掉頭行駛）。
agonising：形容詞，同 agonizing，苦惱的；痛苦難忍的。例句：It is a most agonizing sight.（這種景象真是慘不忍睹。）