Sonic and ultrasonic weapons (USW) constitute a category of directed-energy armaments designed to inflict injury or incapacitate adversaries through the deployment of sound. These devices operate either by generating a focused beam of sound or ultrasound or by projecting an expansive area field of acoustic energy. As of 2025, military and law enforcement agencies employ sonic weapons on a restricted basis.
Operational Applications and Deployment
Sound waves of exceptionally high power possess the capacity to disrupt or rupture a target's eardrums, inducing intense pain and disorientation, which typically suffices to incapacitate an individual. Conversely, lower-intensity sound waves can elicit sensations of nausea or general discomfort in humans.
In the 1990s, paranormal researcher Vic Tandy proposed the potential for a device to generate frequencies capable of inducing eyeball vibration, thereby causing visual distortion. This hypothesis emerged during his investigation into a perceived "haunting" within his Coventry laboratory, which manifested as feelings of unease and indistinct sightings of a grey apparition. Tandy's subsequent inquiry identified a recently installed extractor fan as the source, which was emitting infrasound at frequencies of 18.9 Hz, 0.3 Hz, and 9 Hz.
The Long-Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) generates a 30-degree conical beam of audible sound within the human hearing range (20–20,000 Hz). In 2005, the crew of the cruise ship Seabourn Spirit deployed an LRAD to repel pirates who pursued and assaulted the vessel. More frequently, LRADs and comparable systems are utilized in crowd control operations to disperse protesters and rioters. A related technology is known as a "magnetic acoustic device." In the United Kingdom, Mosquito sonic devices have been employed to discourage teenagers from congregating near retail establishments in designated zones. These devices function by emitting an ultra-high frequency burst (approximately 19–20 kHz) that individuals under roughly 20 years of age find perceptible and uncomfortable. While age-related hearing decline generally renders this ultra-high pitch sound imperceptible to those in their late twenties and older, its effectiveness is contingent upon an individual's prior exposure to elevated sound pressure levels. Furthermore, Greek authorities utilized long-range sound cannons in 2020 and 2021 to deter migrants at the Turkish border.
High-amplitude sound, characterized by a specific pattern and a frequency near the peak sensitivity of human hearing (2–3 kHz), is employed as a deterrent against burglaries.
Certain law enforcement agencies have deployed sound cannons against protesters, notably during events such as the 2009 G20 Pittsburgh summit, the 2014 Ferguson unrest, and the 2016 Dakota Access Pipeline protest in North Dakota, among other instances.
Reports have indicated that "sonic attacks" may have occurred at the American embassy in Cuba during 2016 and 2017, a phenomenon termed "Havana syndrome," which resulted in health issues, including hearing loss, among US and Canadian government personnel stationed at their respective embassies in Havana. Nevertheless, more contemporary analyses propose microwave energy as a potential etiology or suggest a mass psychogenic condition, wherein individuals' bodies manifest symptoms due to prolonged stress, particularly in environments perceived as hostile.
Allegations have surfaced asserting that a sonic weapon instigated the 2025 Belgrade stampede, which transpired during the "15. for 15" anti-corruption protest. Both the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) and the Ministry of Defense have officially refuted the deployment of any sonic weapons against the demonstrators. During a 15-minute period of silence at approximately 19:10 near the Beograđanka building, a sound reportedly induced widespread panic among participants, leading to physical reactions such as falling or evasive maneuvers.
Subsequent to the 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reported an eyewitness account detailing injuries among Venezuelan military personnel consistent with the effects of sonic weaponry employed during the American strike. Donald Trump, then President of the United States, subsequently informed Katie Pavlich, stating, "we have weapons nobody else knows about [...] we have some amazing weapons. That was an amazing attack." This statement was interpreted as an indirect acknowledgment of sonic weapon deployment during the operation. In a subsequent interview with the New York Post, he described one such device as a secret weapon termed a "discombobulator," asserting that it rendered Venezuelan defense systems, including Russian and Chinese rockets, inoperable, and that military personnel "pressed buttons and nothing worked" during the operation. However, a senior U.S. official informed CNN that Trump might have been amalgamating various existing technologies, such as cyber tools for disabling warning systems and acoustic or directed-energy systems, rather than referencing a singular, undisclosed apparatus.
Research
Investigations have demonstrated that exposure to high-intensity ultrasound, specifically at frequencies ranging from 700 kHz to 3.6 MHz, can induce pulmonary and intestinal damage in murine subjects. Furthermore, vibroacoustic stimulation has been observed to elicit adverse cardiac responses, including atrial flutter and bradycardia.
Non-Auditory Physiological Effects
Effects other than to the ears
Non-auditory bioeffects observed across various internal organs and the central nervous system encompass auditory threshold shifts, alterations in vibrotactile sensitivity, muscle contractions, changes in cardiovascular function, central nervous system disturbances, vestibular (inner ear) effects, and impacts on chest wall and pulmonary tissues. Investigations have revealed that exposure to low-frequency sonar can induce substantial cavitations, hypothermia, and tissue shearing. Subsequent experiments were not recommended. Murine studies indicate that the damage threshold for both pulmonary and hepatic tissues is approximately 184 dB. The extent of damage escalates rapidly with increasing intensity. The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) has affirmed that no substantiated biological effects are associated with unfocused sound beams at intensities below 100 mW/cm² SPTA or focused sound beams below an intensity level of 1 mW/cm² SPTA.
Neurological disturbances induced by noise have been observed in scuba divers subjected to continuous low-frequency tones for periods exceeding 15 minutes, manifesting in some instances as immediate and protracted issues affecting cerebral tissue. These symptoms bore resemblance to those experienced by individuals sustaining minor head injuries. A proposed causal mechanism suggests that extended sound exposure generated sufficient mechanical strain on brain tissue to induce an encephalopathy. Both divers and aquatic mammals are susceptible to pulmonary and sinus injuries resulting from high-intensity, low-frequency sound. This susceptibility arises from the facile transmission of low-frequency sound from water into biological tissues, contrasting with its reflection by gas pockets within the body due to acoustic impedance mismatch.
References
References
Goodman, Steve (2012). Sonic Warfare: Sound, Affect, and the Ecology of Fear. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-51795-9.
- Goodman, Steve (2012). Sonic Warfare: Sound, Affect, and the Ecology of Fear. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-51795-9.
- ‘’USA Today’’ report on cruise ship attack – Data on device used by cruise ship (PDF)
- Sargeant, Jack, with David Sutton. Sonic weapons. ForteanTimes, December 2001.
- Vaisman, Daria. "The Acoustics of War." Cabinet, Winter 2001/2002.
- Vassilatos, Gerry. "The Sonic Doom of Valdimir Gavreau." Journal of Borderland Research, October 1996.