May 12, 2010:
The U.S. Marine Corps is developing a non-lethal weapon for temporarily disorienting people. The Medusa Weapon System will use 66mm flash-bang grenades, fired with the assistance of laser range finders and electronic fuze setting. This enables the rockets to be fired through windows or cave entrances. The flash bang grenade will disorient those within 5-7 meters, and only wound fifteen percent of those in that area. The marines are developing Medusa based on their experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Islamic terrorists continue to favor using civilians as human shields. Medusa aims to solve that problem by disorienting terrorists and civilians long enough for marines to get up close and personnel with the enemy, and spare the civilians risk.