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. He has pressed for the development of hypersonic weapons by the United States as well as a defense against them. When directed-energy weapons are mentioned, most people think of "death rays" or Hollywood's latest science fiction movie. This makes targeting and tracking easier as well. Lasers are becoming smaller and more powerful. In addition, when the East German state collapsed, powerful X-ray equipment was found in prisons without there being any apparent reason to justify its presence. Design specifications are already being determined. 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Does the mere use of a weapon that can cause permanent blindness constitute inflicting undue suffering? "Raytheon focuses on non-lethal weapons", Andrew Johnson. 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. 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). Paired with a microwave generator, an EPFCG could produce an ultrashort, intense microwave burst. DEW technology and its enabling infrastructure have matured to the point that DEWs can begin moving from the lab to the battlefield. The Rheotron was captured by the Americans in Burggrub on April 14, 1945. In most cases, the target system must be shut off and restarted, and may require minor repairs before it can operate normally again. [45], AESA radars mounted on fighter aircraft have been slated as directed energy weapons against missiles, however, a senior US Air Force officer noted: "they aren't particularly suited to create weapons effects on missiles because of limited antenna size, power and field of view". It turned out that during its three-year deployment, from 201114, it was used nearly around the clock in its ISR mode. The system generates a focused beam of energy at the frequency of 95 gigahertz. 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. This destroys the device but produces electrical pulses in the terawatt range-the equivalent of 10 to 1,000 lightning strikes. Laser weapons potentially eliminate many logistical problems in terms of ammunition supply, as long as there is enough energy to power them. The lasers on the current path to weaponization include solid state combined fiber and crystal slab as well as hybrid lasers. Laser dazzlers-devices that use laser light to temporarily blind sensors, optics, and personnel- are already available for law enforcement and military use. [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. A year later, testing showed that the ADS could produce effects at ranges beyond current small-arms range. There are numerous pathways and entry points through which microwave energy can penetrate electronic systems. The countries abandoned particle-beam weapon research as impracticable.[3]. In contrast, ordinary visible light comprises multiple wavelengths and is not coherent. Among the directed-energy weapons the Nazis investigated were X-ray beam weapons developed under Heinz Schmellenmeier, Richard Gans and Fritz Houtermans. [citation needed]. 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. 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.[23]. More than 130 US officials, from the state department, CIA and national security council (NSC), have suffered from symptoms, including dizziness, loss of balance, nausea and headaches, first. umbrella term covering technologies that produce a beam of concentrated electromagnetic energy or atomic or subatomic particles. However, the Army felt the fixed-base laser system was too large and cut funding for the program after the demonstration phase. The speed, ultraprecision, and nonlethal capabilities of directed-energy weapons are all good reasons why the United States should continue to research, develop, and, where appropriate, field these technologies. In the case of directed energy weapons, there has been significant risk reduction which has been accomplished over several decades. The number of "shots" a laser weapon can produce is limited only by its power supply. This is just the beginning of a plan to deploy 50kW lasers on four of its Stryker vehicles over the next few years for operational use.12, A fire support noncommissioned officer with 4th Division Artillery, 4th Infantry Division, who participated in the testing of a 2kW version of the laser vehicle at Fort Sill, Oklahoma against unmanned drones was quoted in a February 28, 2018 Army Times article as saying, It was extremely efficient, I was able to bring them down as [fast as] they were able to put them up.13. What if the United States could deploy effective anti-missile lasers on its aircraft to defeat any missile(s) fired at them? The U.S. Army has also been moving out aggressively in developing and deploying directed energy weapons as part of its Air and Missile Defense modernization priority. Both the Allies and the Axis powers conducted basic research and studies into primitive directed-energy weapons before World War II. Similar in principle to the microwave oven, the weapons produce energies in the megawatt range. The Air Force Research Lab's Propulsion Directorate has studied using generators that use high-temperature superconducting wire and high-voltage capacitors. Between 200005, a prototype chemical laser successfully destroyed 46 rockets, artillery shells and mortar rounds in flight during field tests. The armed services need to move from just saying that DEWs are a good idea to fully supporting their development. Discrete, mission-aligned efforts will maintain our pace of development in the race to get these technologies to the field. This plan includes a program which aims to test high energy lasers on aircraft against surface to air and air to air missile threats. Depending on the particulars of the weapon, and how it is used, ERP levels can reach into the hundreds of gigawatts or higher. [1] They may begin to appear on the battlefield within the next decade, bringing a revolution in weapons and how war is waged. 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. This destroys the device but produces electrical pulses in the terawatt range-the equivalent of 10 to 1,000 lightning strikes. [38] The device comes in various sizes, including attached to a Humvee. It stresses the heart, causes insomnia, completely prevents deep sleep, and causes severe muscle aches. Directional sound. This directed energy technology was designed for nonlethal control of crowds. Design specifications are already being determined. Finally, the concept of destroy involves the ability to inflict catastrophic and permanent injury on the enemy functions and systems. [48], Counter-electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project, A laser weapon is a directed-energy weapon based on lasers.[50]. However, a stronger counterargument is that directed-energy weapons, especially lasers, are more humane than conventional weapons because they can strike pinpoint targets, thus causing less collateral damage. While DEWs are not a panacea, the armed services should fully support research and development of these useful technologies. With the ever-increasing use of electronics in weapons systems, HPM devices could have a devastating but nonlethal effect on the battlefield. Today, Directed Energy weapons are being developed by the US and its adversaries for land, sea, and air and space applications. Raytheon had marketed a reduced-range version of this technology. In practice, the weapon was highly vulnerable to enemy fire. But by far, the most ambitious program underway in DOD is being led by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Lung tissue was affected at only the closest ranges as atmospheric air is highly compressible and only the blood rich alveoli resist compression. Compare that to a high energy laser which could kill multiple threat missiles with a single magazine charge for a tiny fraction of the cost. two directional speakers emitting 16,000 Hz and 16,002 Hz frequencies would produce in the ear two frequencies of 32,002 Hz and 2 Hz. They hurt and kill with electromagnetic power. Adversaries are not waiting to develop directed energy weapons. First, the choice of a lasers wavelength can help to mitigate the affect because different laser wavelengths perform much better in the atmosphere than others. In recent years the U.S. Navy deployed a 30kW class solid state laser weapon system (LaWS) prototype on the Afloat Forward Staging Base, USS Ponce. and When directed at humans, a microwave weapon causes atoms to vibrate, which in turn generates 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. Today, solid state electrical (including fiber) and hybrid lasers are being developed that are much lighter and smaller. Microwave weapons can be aimed at computers, electronical devices and persons. [13], A related project is the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) system, which uses a less powerful version of the ABL's COIL laser, instead of missiles, to attack ground targets. HPM weapon technology is based on the same technology as radar devices, which already have a long history of research and development. Directed energy weapons are among the high-tech arms of the century. Potential applications of this technology include weapons that target personnel, missiles, vehicles, and optical devices. 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. [30][31] After decades of research and development, most directed-energy weapons are still at the experimental stage and it remains to be seen if or when they will be deployed as practical, high-performance military weapons.[32][33]. The virtual inaudibility of the equipment is said to produce a "spooky" psychological effect. Laser beams also lose energy through absorption or scattering if fired through dust, smoke, or rain. 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. 8, No. 5-1111, Special Report, Phillips Laboratory, March 1996, 76. 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. [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). Are these weapons still science fiction, lab experiments, or are they real? [66], In 1973, New Scientist magazine reported that a sonic weapon known as a 'squawk box' underwent successful field trials in Northern Ireland, using soldiers as guinea pigs. In March 2003, North Korea may have used a ZM-87 to "paint" two U.S. Apache helicopters patrolling the Demilitarized Zone.[7]. the 14,000 artillery and rocket launchers arrayed within striking distance of Seoul with its 10 million inhabitants. The full system will be fitted to the aircraft by 2007 and test-fired against ground targets. Current HPM research focuses on pulsed power devices, which create intense, ultrashort bursts of electrical energy and would be used to power the microwave generator of an HPM weapon. Depending on the type of laser, this means that the weapon can have an almost "endless magazine" of laser bursts. They could therefore avoid there being any evidence of repression or at least limit it. Thermal blooming occurs in both charged and neutral particle beams, and occurs when particles bump into one another under the effects of thermal vibration, or bump into air molecules. The electrical shock is enough to stun personnel, detonate improvised explosive devices, or destroy electronic equipment. Furthermore, the power of lasers and microwave weapons has decreased, allowing for nonlethal uses. Therefore, currently deployed defenses against ballistic missiles will not be effective in defending against these non-ballistic threats. The first step in this endeavor is underway with funding for laser scaling and beam quality improvements for both combined fiber lasers as well as hybrid lasers such as the diode pumped alkali laser or DPALS. 9 Eileen Walling, High Power Microwaves, Strategic and Operational Implications for Warfare, Occasional Paper no. But again, advances in computational power coming out of the gaming industry (such as graphics processing units) and artificial intelligence coming from autonomous automobile development can be instrumental in providing these needed capabilities. 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). The number of "shots" a laser weapon can produce is limited only by its power supply. The system generates a focused beam of energy at the frequency of 95 gigahertz. 13 Todd South, Soldiers in Europe are now Using Lasers to Shoot Down Drones, ArmyTimes.com, February 8, 2018, available at < https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/02/28/soldiers-in-europe-are-now-using-lasers-to-shoot-down-drones/>. A microwave weapon can achieve this result by causing malfunctions within certain relay and processing circuits within the enemy target system. This produces a burning pain without actually damaging the tissue. It has been claimed that the USSR made use of the lasers at the Terra-3 site to target the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984. Space-based lasers would have a profound impact on the U.S. ability to defend and if necessary, fight in space. Therefore, HELs and HPMs could also play a role in the midcourse/terminal phase of both types of hypersonic missile flight. The death ray of science fiction may in fact become a reality in the not too distant future. A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy, including laser, microwaves and particle General DOD policy is that directed-energy weapons can be used legitimately on the battlefield. The United States has come a very long way in the development of directed energy weapon capabilities and is now at a critical juncture. According to the manufacturer's specifications, the systems weigh from 15 to 320 pounds (6.8 to 145.1kg) and can emit sound in a 30- 60 beam at 2.5kHz. The deuterium fluoride chemical laser fires, hitting the rocket or shell and causing it to explode far short of its intended target. [8], In August 2004, the THEL system shot down multiple mortar rounds during testing. [71] The negative effects of the radiation poisoning and cancer would extend past the period of incarceration. However, considerable work still needs to be done before they can be deployed. This In Focus discusses a selection of 7, No. 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. It is relatively close to deployment. These photons are all at the same wavelength and are coherent, meaning the crests and troughs of the light waves are all in lockstep. ", "Defence IQ talks to Dr Palek about Directed Energy Weapon systems", "US Navy Laser Weapon Fires At $1 Per Shot", "Israel tests improved Arrow interceptor", "Defense News - Russian army confirms use of Stupor anti-drone rifle in Ukraine", "Russia Uses Stupor Technology To Ward Off Ukrainian Drone Attacks", "Russia is developing laser, electromagnetic and plasma weapons", "Applications LRAD Corporation website", "How to Dodge the Sonic Weapon Used by Police", Directed-Energy Weapons: No Longer Science Fiction, "Robert Watson-Watt: Biography on Undiscovered Scotland", "How the search for a 'death ray' led to radar", "Robert Watson-Watt biography - Science Hall of Fame - National Library of Scotland", "Forschungssttte fr Hitlers "Todesstrahlen", Reports of Use of Laser Weapons By The Soviets Against the Chinese, "How dangerous is the Army's squawk box? [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. On 10 October 1984 (STS-41-G), the Terra-3 tracking laser was allegedly aimed at Challenger as it passed over the facility. During the Iraq War, electromagnetic weapons, including high power microwaves, were used by the U.S. military to disrupt and destroy Iraqi electronic systems and may have been used for crowd control. DEW technology is changing faster than international laws and treaties can adapt. 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. In 2010, the Airborne Laser shot down two missiles (both solid and liquid propelled) in their boost phase during flight testing which demonstrated the lethality of the laser against missile targets. [49] [79][80] However, this story is comprehensively denied by the crew members of STS-41-G and knowledgeable members of the US intelligence community. A mechanized unit advancing through a town, protected by an anti-artillery and anti-missile laser shield, clearing the surrounding buildings of snipers and enemy troops with an active denial system, and using electrolasers to stun them before taking them prisoner, all while using HPM weapons to render the enemy's communications useless, would be a powerful military unit indeed. [65], The Central Intelligence Agency informed Secretary Henry Kissinger that it had twelve reports of Soviet forces using laser weapons against Chinese forces during the 1969 Sino-Soviet border clashes, though William Colby doubted that they had actually been employed. Directed energy weapons are among the high-tech arms of the century. 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. [21], A demonstration system was tested at Kirtland Air Force Base in 2000. 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. [41] Vigilant Eagle was not mentioned on Raytheon's Web site in 2022. This also includes fundamental differences such as the wavelength of the lasers and the beam quality required for success. [84][85], The TECOM Technology Symposium in 1997 concluded on non-lethal weapons, "determining the target effects on personnel is the greatest challenge to the testing community", primarily because "the potential of injury and death severely limits human tests". Directed energy weapons, also known by the brand name Active Denial System, are a new technology developed by the U.S. military. Havana syndrome is a set of medical symptoms reported by US personnel in Havana, Cuba and other locations, suspected by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to be caused by microwave energy. 16 R. Jeffrey Smith, Hypersonic Missiles Are Unstoppable and Theyre Starting a New Global Arms Race, New York Times Magazine, June 19, 2019. ", "Navy's new laser weapon: Hype or reality? How 'Revolutionary' Is CHAMP, New Air Force Microwave Weapon? Directed energy weapons, such as lasers and microwaves, had enjoyed an exotic aura. -Alane Kochems is a Policy Analyst for National Security in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, a division of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, at The Heritage Foundation. One of the most promising laser devices is the free-electron laser. These high-speed missiles fly at Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) and greater. This type of weapon shows great potential as a riot-control device or area-denial system. 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. [6]GlobalSecurity.org, "Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)," at http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/patriot-ac-3.htm (March 15, 2006). 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 centuries of technological advances have improved the power of these materials, the basic operating principle of chemical-powered weapons ultimately remains the same. A DE weapon is a system using DE primarily as a direct means to disable, damage or destroy adversary equipment, facilities, and personnel. [88], Media related to Directed-energy weapons at Wikimedia Commons, This article is about real uses of directed energy weapons. X-ray lasers may be possible in the not too distant future. However, the Army felt the fixed-base laser system was too large and cut funding for the program after the demonstration phase. However, these lasers were generally large and heavy. We proved that the technology could be effective, but its size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements made the laser weapons impracticable to field. There are two types of hypersonic weapons, boost glide and air-launched high-speed cruise missiles. Lieutenant General Henry Trey Obering, III, USAF (Ret. They are well-suited to defending against threats such as missiles and artillery shells, which DEWs can shoot down in mid-flight. For high energy lasers, lethality depends on the power output of the laser, the purity and concentration of the light (beam quality), the target range, the ability to keep the laser on the target aimpoint (jitter control and tracking), and the atmospheric environment the laser traverses to the target. Electrical blooming occurs only in charged particle beams, as ions of like charge repel one another. This makes targeting and tracking easier as well. And of course, lasers employed at higher altitudes or in space would have very little to no atmospheric affects. High-energy lasers (HEL) can range from a few kilowatts to megawatts of average power. First up is the Multi-Mission High Energy Laser, a 50-killowatt retrofit to a modified Stryker vehicle, which is expected to be operational in 2023. The two U.S. laser weapons systems closest to actual deployment are the Tactical High-Energy Laser (THEL) and the Airborne Laser (ABL). However, because beam strength degrades rapidly as the particles react with the atoms in the atmosphere, it requires an enormous power plant to generate a weapons-grade beam. 6 David Stoudt, Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, private communication. In 1935, the British Air Ministry asked Robert Watson-Watt of the Radio Research Station whether a "death ray" was possible. 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]. These systems of missile defense are expected to come online no sooner than the mid to late-2020s. Conceptual MindWorks in San Antonio, TX received a $7 million cost-plus fixed-fee contract to provide for research support around emerging directed energy weapons (including non-lethal weapons) and their effects on humans.Work will be conducted in cooperation with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Human Effectiveness Directorate (AFRL/HEDR), Directed Energy Bio-effects Division, Radio . Laser light can be produced by a number of different methods, ranging from rods of chemically doped glass to energetic chemical reactions to semiconductors. [16] When the microwave energy encounters unshielded wires or electronic components, it induces a current in them, which causes the equipment to malfunction. One of the greatest attributes of directed energy weapons is that they operate at the speed of light. -13.1, Electronic Warfare (Washington, DC: Department of Defense, 2012). European Parliament The power output necessary for a weapons-grade laser ranges from 10 kilowatts to 1 megawatt. It is developing a very high-power laser capable of being eventually deployed on a space-based platform to target missiles during their boost/ascent/midcourse phase. 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. "'[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. There is no injury to the target individual. This article will examine answers to these questions. The full system will be fitted to the aircraft by 2007 and test-fired against ground targets. High-power microwave (HPM) weapons work by producing either beams or short bursts of high-frequency radio energy. They hurt and kill with electromagnetic power. 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. A possible future development is the electrolaser. [51], Additionally, the Russian Federation is developing various plasma weapons.[52]. The THEL system uses radar to detect and track incoming targets. Directed energy weapons conjure up images of the Death Star's Superlaser or Optimus Prime's Ion Blaster. While DEWs are not the solution to all combat situations, these technologies would provide the U.S. military with additional flexibility in tailoring its response to different types of threats. 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Cruise missiles David Stoudt, Ph.D., electrical Engineering, private communication to air and applications. 14,000 artillery and rocket launchers arrayed within striking distance of Seoul with its 10 million inhabitants nonlethal.. Non-Lethal weapons '', Andrew Johnson the clock in its ISR mode Obering III. Electronics in weapons systems, HPM devices could have a devastating but nonlethal on. A profound impact on the battlefield 1 megawatt investigated were X-ray beam weapons developed under Heinz Schmellenmeier, Richard and. Deployment, from 201114, it was used nearly around the clock in its ISR mode weapons energies... Real uses of directed energy weapons, also known by the U.S. to... Americans in Burggrub on April 14, 1945 considerable work still needs to be done they... [ 38 ] the device but produces electrical pulses in the not too distant future supply, as long there! There has been claimed that the USSR made use of electronics in weapons systems, HPM could. Felt the fixed-base laser system was too large and heavy weapons ultimately remains the same technology as radar,!
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