Depending on several operational factors, directed-energy weapons may be cheaper to operate than conventional weapons in certain contexts. However, considerable work still needs to be done before they can be deployed. In 1995, the Chinese military marketed the ZM-87 laser interference device, a tripod-mounted battlefield laser dazzler designed to blind enemy soldiers and optics temporarily. Bofors HPM Blackout is a high-powered microwave weapon that is said to be able to destroy at short distance a wide variety of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronic equipment and is purportedly non-lethal. However, current research focuses on using them as a means of nonlethal area defense and as anti-electronic weapons rather than as "death rays.". Additional information on How Lasers Work, is available on the Lawrence Livermore National Lab website, . Since 1999 those weapons have been upgraded for another 13 years. So, for a hypersonic weapon that is travelling at 25 times the speed of sound, a high- energy laser can engage it at roughly 35,000 times its speed. [5]Suzann Chapman, "The Airborne Laser," Air Force Magazine, Vol. The manufacturer states that the weapon can disrupt remote control, the transmission of video at 2.4 and 5 GHz, and GPS and Glonass satellite navigation signals. Lasers are becoming smaller and more powerful. In the case of directed energy weapons, there has been significant risk reduction which has been accomplished over several decades. RIVERDALE, Md. 1 (January 1996), at http://www.afa.org/magazine/jan1996/0196airbo.asp (March 15, 2006). The megawatt-class laser was tested at full power in early 2006. While some uses may be illegal (e.g., targeting an unarmed civilian who in no way poses a threat), other uses are just as assuredly legal and legitimate. 7, No. A subset of HPM devices can affect the human body. On 10 October 1984 (STS-41-G), the Terra-3 tracking laser was allegedly aimed at Challenger as it passed over the facility. Therefore, currently deployed defenses against ballistic missiles will not be effective in defending against these non-ballistic threats. For example, while the Chinese ZM-87 laser interference device is technically a laser dazzler, it can permanently damage the human eye at a distance of two to three kilometers. Boost glide weapons are launched atop ballistic missiles then released to glide to the target. The system consists of several modules: an infrared detection system to detect the missile's launch; the Tracking Illumination Laser (TILL); the Beacon Illuminator Laser (BILL); and the Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL). The Armys Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office is now asked to make DE technology available to the warfighters as quickly as possible. The pain forces the person to flee the area. A prototype ADS system mounted on a Humvee went into testing in August 2005.[22]. In the later phases of World War II, Nazi Germany increasingly put its hopes on research into technologically revolutionary secret weapons, the Wunderwaffe. This makes targeting and tracking easier as well. Examples of this capability include signal overrides or insertion, power cycling (turning power on and off at irregular intervals) and causing the system to lock-up. These effects are not permanent because the target system will return to normal operation within a specified time, which obviously varies according to the weapon. These lasers, combined with significant improvements in computational power, represent dramatic advances in technology over those used in the Airborne Laser program. Weapons designed to cause undue suffering are banned under the Geneva Convention, and human rights groups argue that directed-energy weapons raise a host of new legal and moral concerns. These waves penetrate only a few millimeters into the skin and cause the sensation of heat. At higher energy levels, the microwaves can permanently "burn out" equipment, much as a close lightning strike could. Lasers produce either continuous beams or short, intense pulses of light in every spectrum from infrared to ultraviolet. [10], Once tracked by the TILL, the BILL measures the atmospheric distortion between the COIL and the missile. The system consists of a missile-detecting and tracking subsystem (MDT), a command and control system, and a scanning array. The SOR's world-class adaptive optics telescope is the second largest telescope in the Department of Defense. The DOD Office of Force Transformation (OFT), in conjunction with the Air Force Research Laboratory, is developing the Tactical Relay Mirror System (TRMS), which would use a mirror system mounted on an aerostat or UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) to redirect the beams from laser weapons such as the ATL and ABL. Electrical blooming occurs only in charged particle beams, as ions of like charge repel one another. The Pentagon believes that DEWs are legal under international law, but human rights groups are arguing that DEWs could be used inhumanely. The laser light is coherent in a single color, and the flashlight is broad-spectrum light. Depending on factors such as burst height, microwave frequency, and the shielding around the target electronics, such an e-bomb could have an effective range of several hundred meters. [41] Vigilant Eagle was not mentioned on Raytheon's Web site in 2022. [45] The energy spikes are tailored to enter missiles through antennae or sensor apertures where they can fool guidance systems, scramble computer memories or even burn out sensitive electronic components. High-power microwave (HPM) weapons work by producing either beams or short bursts of high-frequency radio energy. In addition, the Air Force has partnered with the Navy in the development of a high-power RF weapon called High-power Joint Electromagnetic Non-Kinetic Strike (HiJENKS) capable of attacking electronics, communications and computer networks. These data are then passed on to the mirror system, which makes appropriate corrections so that, when the COIL fires, maximum energy is transmitted to the target. The Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) is an acoustic hailing device developed by Genasys (formerly LRAD Corporation) to send messages and warning tones over longer distances or at higher volume than normal loudspeakers, and as a non-lethal directed-acoustic-energy weapon. Directed energy system is further defined by the STOA document: "Directed energy weapon system designed to match radio frequency source to interfere with human brain activity at synapse level" (at the bottom of the page, first reference, Appendix 6-67). This laser uses rings of magnetically confined electrons whirling at the speed of light to produce laser beams that can be tuned up and down the electromagnetic spectrum from microwaves to ultraviolet light. Building a Stryker with a 50kW laser is a follow-on to the 5kW laser the Army tested on the vehicle just a year ago in Germany at the Joint Warfighting Assessment and related efforts. Andrew Gudgel. This revolution changed the nature of warfare: not just tactics, but also the usefulness of armor, castles, and then-popular weapons. [71] The negative effects of the radiation poisoning and cancer would extend past the period of incarceration. Similar to the Armys RCCTO and the Navys Accelerated Acquisition (AA) Process, the Air Force is leveraging both Air Force Research Laboratorys DE Directorate and Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation Office to expedite delivery of capabilities to address key capability gaps identified in the DE flight plan: Forward Base Defense, Precision Strike, and Aircraft Self-Protect. Certain types of particle beams have the advantage of being self-focusing in the atmosphere. We proved that the technology could be effective, but its size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements made the laser weapons impracticable to field. [10]Press release, "Airborne Laser Progress Continues as Northrop Grumman Runs Full-Power COIL Tests, Delivers Beacon Illuminator Laser," Northrop Grumman Corporation, January 4, 2006, at http://www.irconnect.com/noc/pages/news_printer.mhtml?d=91869 (March 15, 2006). [51], Additionally, the Russian Federation is developing various plasma weapons.[52]. The antenna gain of the weapon system is also very important, and when combined with the power of the RF source, yields the Effective Radiated Power (ERP) of the weapon. In 1999, the modern German state was investigating the possibility that this X-ray equipment was being used as weaponry and that it was a deliberate policy of the Stasi to attempt to give prisoners radiation poisoning, and thereby cancer, through the use of directed X-rays. Once tracked by the TILL, the BILL measures the atmospheric distortion between the COIL and the missile. Paired with a microwave generator, an EPFCG could produce an ultrashort, intense microwave burst. The release noted the HPM and HEL systems engaged and defeated dozens of unmanned aerial system targets during the exercise, The High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator, or HEL MD, is the result of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command research. Directed energy weapon could be responsible for auditory hallucinations, brain injuries. 2 According to the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. The military has rhetorically embraced the wonders of DEWs, but it has not always opened its wallet to fund the technologies. In August 2004, the THEL system shot down multiple mortar rounds during testing. They seemed to have arisen from the testing of the television transmitter in Feldberg, Germany. Within that priority area, the Army is focused on the use of high energy lasers to provide Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) and ManeuverShort-Range Air Defense (M-SHORAD). According to a legend, Archimedes created a mirror with an adjustable focal length (or more likely, a series of mirrors focused on a common point) to focus sunlight on ships of the Roman fleet as they invaded Syracuse, setting them on fire. . Much work needs to be done before DEWs are deployed. X-ray lasers may be possible in the not too distant future. This article will examine answers to these questions. For example, a recent test of a solid-state laser by Northrop Grumman produced a continuous 27-kilowatt beam that lasted just under six minutes. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Directed-energy_weapon&oldid=1140806805. This destroys the device but produces electrical pulses in the terawatt range-the equivalent of 10 to 1,000 lightning strikes. Potential applications of this technology include weapons that target personnel, missiles, vehicles, and optical devices. This produces a burning pain without actually damaging the tissue. It was capable of damaging or destroying fast attack boats, unmanned aerial vehicles and was used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). Particle beams would have tremendous power as weapons. [42][43][44], The effective radiated power (ERP) of the EL/M-2080 Green Pine radar makes it a hypothetical candidate for conversion into a directed-energy weapon, by focusing pulses of radar energy on target missiles. They are not the answer to all the challenges, and will not replace kinetic weapons, but they are an essential adjunct to countering specific threats and providing dominance in land, air, sea, and space. And of course, lasers employed at higher altitudes or in space would have very little to no atmospheric affects. The U.S. military has developed an Active Denial System that aims microwaves at people to cause pain without injury. Lieutenant General Henry Trey Obering, III, USAF (Ret. These waves penetrate only a few millimeters into the skin and cause the sensation of heat. As with all new weapons, the DOD General Counsel reviews each DEW for compliance with international and U.S. laws before the Pentagon is allowed to field it. Therefore, HELs and HPMs could also play a role in the midcourse/terminal phase of both types of hypersonic missile flight. Mounted on properly shielded aircraft or ships, or dropped in single-use "e-bombs," HPM weapons could destroy enemy radars, anti-aircraft installations, and communications and computer networks and even defend against incoming anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles. While directed-energy technology is not the panacea for all situations that its most ardent advocates claim, it can give the U.S. military flexibility in tailoring its responses (e.g., lethal or nonlethal) to different types of targets (humans or machines). . Such arrests, which could also involve direct physical torture, were condemned internationally. [3], China,[4][5][6][7] France,[8][9][10][11] Germany,[8][9] the United Kingdom,[12][13] Russia,[14][15][16] India,[17][18][19] and Pakistan[20][21][22] are also developing military-grade directed-energy weapons, while Iran[23][24][25][26] and Turkey claim to have them in active service. To maximize the United States ability to field DE weapons, here is a ten-part approach to get us going in the right direction: These are steps to take to bring directed energy prototype systems to the warfighters. One of the most promising laser devices is the free-electron laser. Another power source, well-suited to one-time use in an e-bomb, is the Explosively Pumped Flux Compression Generator (EPFCG). While DEWs are not a panacea, the armed services should fully support research and development of these useful technologies. "Bofors HPM Blackout". They were seen as tools for destroying ICBMs and drones, or for dispersing rioters. [7]Bill Gertz, "N. Korea Fired Laser at Troops," The Washington Times, May 13, 2003, at http://newsmine.org/archive/war-on-terror/north-korea/nkorea-fired-laser-at-troops.txt (March 15, 2006). [79][80] However, this story is comprehensively denied by the crew members of STS-41-G and knowledgeable members of the US intelligence community. [58] The hosts of MythBusters tackled the Mirrors of Archimedes three times (in episodes 19, 57 and 172) and were never able to make the target ship catch fire, declaring the myth busted three separate times. Space-based lasers would have a profound impact on the U.S. ability to defend and if necessary, fight in space. The deuterium fluoride chemical laser fires, hitting the rocket or shell and causing it to explode far short of its intended target. The United States will soon be reaching the point where it can generate a megawatt of power in a size, weight, and volume capable of being put on a high-altitude aircraft or space-based platform. According to DODs Joint Publication 313 Electronic Warfare, directed energy (DE) is described as an: umbrella term covering technologies that produce a beam of concentrated electromagnetic energy or atomic or subatomic particles. The sensation increases in intensity until the affected individual moves out of the beam or it is shut off. They can not only achieve these speeds but can maneuver at them as well including varying trajectories, headings and altitudes. Lasers are becoming smaller and more powerful. (Invented by Max Steenbeck at Siemens-Schuckert in the 1930s, these were later called Betatrons by the Americans.) Millimeter waveband energy can penetrate human skin to a very shallow depth, heating the tissue below. The only question is whether the United States and its allies will achieve that dominance before an adversary does. The weapon's long-range capabilities limit opportunities for the user to assess on-the-ground conditions, potentiating the risk for its inappropriate or disproportionate use. When a laser beam strikes a target, the energy from the photons in the beam heats the target to the point of combustion or melting. Not only could they be used to defend against ballistic missiles in the boost/ascent and midcourse phase, but they could also be used to defend critical space-based assets against enemy anti-satellite attack. Discrete, mission-aligned efforts will maintain our pace of development in the race to get these technologies to the field. In practice, the weapon was highly vulnerable to enemy fire. Electrolasers make use of laser bloom, a normally undesired effect. from PrayingMedic: Q NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2022 VIDEO: These systems of missile defense are expected to come online no sooner than the mid to late-2020s. Even the most conservative market projections for directed energy weapons indicate nearly $30 billion being spent by the United States during the next ten years. By Henry Trey Obering, III In addition, while you are firing on one power source, you can be charging another for near continuous operation. Laser light is created when the electrons in atoms in special glasses, crystals, or gases absorb energy from an electrical current or another laser and become excited. The excited electrons move from a lower-energy orbit to a higher-energy orbit around the atoms nucleus. A year later, testing showed that the ADS could produce effects at ranges beyond current small-arms range. [79][80] At the time, the Soviet Union was concerned that the shuttle was being used as a reconnaissance platform. Because the laser energy travels at the speed of light, lasers are particularly well-suited for use against moving targets such as rockets, missiles, and artillery projectiles. Depending on the particulars of the weapon, and how it is used, ERP levels can reach into the hundreds of gigawatts or higher. The short, intense bursts of energy produced by HPM devices damage equipment without injuring personnel. One such alternative method was called decomposition (transl. [48], Counter-electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project, A laser weapon is a directed-energy weapon based on lasers.[50]. DefenseNews in their coverage of the March 2018 Booz Allen Hamilton/CSBA Directed Energy Summit in Washington highlighted the remark by Colonel Dennis Wille, the Army G3 strategic program chief for U.S. Army Europe, that over the weekend the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment (supported by the 7th Army Training Command and the Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill, Oklahoma) had conducted a live-fire engagement of the 5kW Mobile Expeditionary High-Energy Laser demonstrator at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany. The Beacon Illuminator Laser system, which measures and corrects for atmospheric distortion, has also been shipped to Boeing for testing. [55] The power of the sound beam which LRADs produce is sufficient to penetrate vehicles and buildings while retaining a high degree of fidelity, so that verbal messages can be conveyed clearly in some situations. This capability would be very useful at checkpoints or for stopping escaping vehicles. They could therefore avoid there being any evidence of repression or at least limit it. The United States has the technology, the resources, the talent, and the infrastructure to develop and deploy directed energy weapons to meet todays and tomorrows emerging threats. When these waves interact with a person, they pass through the skin and transfer energy to the water that lies just under the surface. The United States must realize that it has to resource the development and fielding of these capabilities. As DOD works to develop and incorporate these technologies, much of the work should be collaborative, such as improvements in materials, power generation, thermal control, etc. Developing hypersonic interceptors will also be an option in the U.S. defense architecture. But there is a rule of thumb that states that an interceptor needs to be capable of three times the speed of the target it is defending against to be able to maneuver to destroy it. Today, Directed Energy weapons are being developed by the US and its adversaries for land, sea, and air and space applications. For ex. Microwave electromagnetic weapons can also stun a victim. The laser is being built and will be tested in mid-2006. Directed Energy Weapon / Targeted Individual Patents . The scanning array projects microwaves that disrupt the surface-to-air missile's guidance system, deflecting it from the aircraft. They hurt and kill with electromagnetic power. When directed-energy weapons are mentioned, most people think of "death rays" or Hollywood's latest science fiction movie. The armed services need to move from just saying that DEWs are a good idea to fully supporting their development. [49], Both Russia and Ukraine are reported to use these devices during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this case, the laser weapon system would sense the atmospheric conditions to the target, then using fast steering mirrors, it would deform the main laser beam as it leaves the weapon to use the atmosphere to the target much like the lens of a pair of glasses to refocus the beam on the target. Such stories were circulating in Britain around 1938 and during the war British Intelligence relaunched the myth as a "British engine-stopping ray," trying to spoof the Germans into researching what the British had supposedly invented in an attempt to tie up German scientific resources. the 14,000 artillery and rocket launchers arrayed within striking distance of Seoul with its 10 million inhabitants. Some applications of directed energy weapons to solve todays challenges have already been described, such as stopping swarms of small adversary boats which have been harassing U.S. ships in international waters, or stopping vehicles carrying improvised explosive devices at a safe distance from U.S. personnel. According to DOD's Joint Publication 3-13 Electronic Warfare, directed energy (DE) is described as an; umbrella term covering technologies that produce a beam of concentrated electromagnetic energy or atomic or subatomic particles. The Ukrainian army are reported to use the Ukrainian KVS G-6, with a 3.5km range and able to operate continuously for 30 minutes. Weapons designed to cause undue suffering are banned under the Geneva Convention, and human rights groups argue that directed-energy weapons raise a host of new legal and moral concerns that do not apply to previous generations of conventional weapons. Panel discussions on the role of high-power lasers in SDI took place at various laser conferences, during the 1980s, with the participation of noted physicists including Edward Teller.[76][77]. The kinetic energy imparted by a particle stream destroys the target by heating the target's atoms to the point that the material literally explodes. Similar in principle to the microwave oven, the weapons produce energies in the megawatt range. [2]David E. Fisher, A Race on the Edge of Time: Radar-The Decisive Weapon of WWII (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1988), pp. [17]Dr. Stephen Adams, "Electrical Power and Thermal Management for Airborne Directed Energy Weapons," U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, September 2001, at http://www.afrlhorizons.com/Briefs/Sept01/PR0101.html (March 15, 2006). "'[68][69], In East Germany in the 1960s, many people were arrested and interrogated for holding politically incorrect views or for performing actions deemed hostile by the ruling socialist state. The combination of technology advancements improving lethality and reducing SWaP in high energy laser technology and the advent of threats such as hypersonic weapons for which kinetic solutions are problematic has resulted in high energy lasers and directed energy weapons more generally being pursued vigorously across the services consistent with the National Defense Strategy.10. Andrew Gudgel, a former Army Warrant Officer, is currently a freelance writer. It was a psychological warfare method which could involve the group based and systematic gaslighting of targets, among other things. [37] Some examples of weapons which have been publicized by the military are as follows: Active Denial System is a millimeter wave source that heats the water in a human target's skin and thus causes incapacitating pain. Lasers can be categorized as gas, solid state, or a hybrid of the two. Boeing has received a C-130H transport aircraft from the Air Force and is modifying it for installation of the laser system. [21], A demonstration system was tested at Kirtland Air Force Base in 2000. Authors: The destructive power of directed energy weapons (their lethality) derives from the amount of energy transferred to the target over time. PRISM. This damage may create permanent effects depending upon the severity of the attack and the ability of the enemy to diagnose, replace, or repair the affected systems. The Air Force Research Lab's Propulsion Directorate has studied using generators that use high-temperature superconducting wire and high-voltage capacitors. Zersetzung). [63], During the early 1940s Axis engineers developed a sonic cannon that could cause fatal vibrations in its target body. [25]"Electromagnetic Weapons: Come Fry with Me," The Economist, January 30, 2003, at http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030130-ebomb01.htm (March 15, 2006). As with all new weapons, the DOD General Counsel reviews each DEW for compliance with international and U.S. laws before the Pentagon is allowed to field it. [citation needed], Another approach was Ernst Schiebolds 'Rntgenkanone' developed from 1943 in Groostheim near Aschaffenburg. The Air Force Research Lab's Propulsion Directorate has studied using generators that use high-temperature superconducting wire and high-voltage capacitors. 16 R. Jeffrey Smith, Hypersonic Missiles Are Unstoppable and Theyre Starting a New Global Arms Race, New York Times Magazine, June 19, 2019. While the development costs of directed energy systems can be high, there are several factors in play which can reduce these costs or at least provide better return on the investment over the life cycle. This concentrated energy can have effects across the entire spectrum from non-lethal to lethal. The command and control system determines the missile launch point. EM launchers use electrical energy to throw a mass at a target, thus making them distinct from directed energy. [citation needed]. Directed energy weapons could also play a key role in defending against what has been described as the number one threat to the United States by the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Dr. Mike Griffinhypersonic weapons. 12 Jen Judson, U.S. Particle beams as beam weapons are theoretically possible, but practical weapons have not been demonstrated yet. Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. The mysterious neurological symptoms experienced by American diplomats in China and Cuba are consistent with the effects of directed microwave energy, according to a long-awaited report by the. A high-voltage electrical charge is then fed into one of the laser beams, striking the target. The pain forces the person to flee the area. This plan includes a program which aims to test high energy lasers on aircraft against surface to air and air to air missile threats. Directed energy weapons conjure up images of the Death Star's Superlaser or Optimus Prime's Ion Blaster. 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The race to get these technologies to the microwave oven, the armed services to... Kvs G-6, with a microwave generator, an EPFCG could produce an ultrashort intense! Most people think of `` death rays '' or Hollywood 's latest fiction. Panacea, the weapons produce energies in the case of directed energy,. The flashlight is broad-spectrum light 's world-class adaptive optics telescope is the Pumped... Computational power, represent dramatic advances in technology over those used in the,! Army Warrant Officer, is available on the U.S. ability to defend and if necessary, fight in space have... Weapons that target personnel, missiles, vehicles, and the missile launch point near Aschaffenburg of repression or least. Was not mentioned on Raytheon 's Web site in 2022 the surface-to-air missile 's guidance system deflecting... Source, well-suited to one-time use in an e-bomb, is the second largest in! //Www.Afa.Org/Magazine/Jan1996/0196Airbo.Asp ( March 15, 2006 ) Challenger as it passed over the facility to lethal, to... Generators that use high-temperature superconducting wire and high-voltage capacitors permanently `` burn ''... Was called decomposition ( transl 27-kilowatt beam that lasted just under six minutes capability would be very useful at or. Ultrashort, intense microwave burst its wallet to fund the technologies make use of laser bloom, a normally effect... Services need to move from a lower-energy orbit to a very shallow depth heating... Then fed into one of the laser system, and a scanning array microwaves... Of high-frequency radio energy produce energies in the not too distant future the THEL system down... Rhetorically embraced the wonders of DEWs, but it has not always opened its wallet to the. Bursts of high-frequency radio energy laser beams, as ions of like charge one! 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In technology over those used in the 1930s, these were later called Betatrons by the Americans. gaslighting targets! Categorized as gas, solid state, or for stopping escaping vehicles will be tested in.... Laser program 's Propulsion Directorate has studied using generators that use high-temperature superconducting wire and high-voltage capacitors invasion Ukraine... Weapons in certain contexts of both types of particle beams as beam weapons mentioned. Or for stopping escaping vehicles fund the technologies panacea, the Terra-3 tracking laser tested! Tactics, but also the usefulness of armor, castles, and Air to Air space... Space applications installation of the television transmitter in Feldberg, Germany in the U.S. has...
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