Microwave weapons 'were probably used' against US diplomats

For story suggestions or custom animation requests, contact tips@. Visit to view News Direct's complete archive of 3D news animations. RESTRICTIONS: Broadcast: NO USE JAPAN, NO USE TAIWAN Digital: NO USE JAPAN, NO USE TAIWAN A newly released scientific report casts more light on the case of US diplomats who believed they had suffered physical damage from microwave weapons used by enemy agents. A panel of US scientists found that the symptoms were likely caused by directed microwave devices. RUNDOWN SHOWS: 1. Show enemy agents using a microwave weapon to target the US embassy in Havana 2. Show functioning of magnetron to produce radiation in an oven 3. Show similarities and differences between microwave ovens and weapons 4. Show functioning of magnetron in a directed energy weapon 5. Show how a directed energy weapon's radiation hits diplomats inside embassy 6. Show harmful effects of radiation on the same diplomats VOICEOVER (in English): A new report by a US National Academy of Sciences committee has found that “directed“ microwave radiation is the likely cause of illnesses among American diplomats in Cuba and China. Microwave weapons work in much the same way as an ordinary microwave oven. A strong electrical current is fed into a magnetron. A magnetron is a high-powered vacuum tube that oscillates microwaves to produce high-energy microwave radiation. However, in a microwave oven, this energy bounces around within the walls of the oven. Instead of containing the energy inside a box, a microwave weapon concentrates the energy into a focused direction, with minimal broadening of the energy stream. This is why it's also called a directed energy weapon. AP reports the committee's finding provides the most definitive explanation yet of the illness that struck scores of government employees, first at the U.S. Embassy in Havana in 2016, and then in China and other countries. Many of the officers suffered from dizziness, fatigue, headaches, and loss of hearing, memory and balance, and some were forced into permanent retirement. SOURCES: *** ----------------------------------------­­---------------------------------------­-­---------------- Next Animation Studio’s News Direct service provides daily, high-quality, informative 3D news animations that fill in for missing footage and help viewers understand breaking news stories or in-depth features on science, technology, and health. Sign up for a free trial of News Direct's news animations at To subscribe to News Direct or for more info, please visit: