Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. 11, Air War College Center for Strategy and Technology, May 2000. When these waves interact with a person, they pass through the skin and transfer energy to the water that lies just under the surface. Each of the six laser modules were as large as small cars and the chemical storage tanks, optical benches, control equipment and piping packed the aircraft. Design specifications are already being determined. 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. In this case, the enemy would be required to totally replace entire systems, facilities, and hardware if it was to regain any degree of operational status.9. The Air Force Research Lab's Propulsion Directorate has studied using generators that use high-temperature superconducting wire and high-voltage capacitors. High-energy lasers (HEL) can range from a few kilowatts to megawatts of average power. In fact, the megawatt-class Airborne Laser developed in the late 1990s and early 2000s required an entire 747 aircraft to hold the equipment. It stresses the heart, causes insomnia, completely prevents deep sleep, and causes severe muscle aches. One problem that affects laser beam strength is a phenomenon known as "blooming," which occurs when the laser beam heats the atmosphere through which it is passing, turning the air into plasma. Challenges remain in terms of the size, weight and power input requirements of todays laser systems, especially in the thermal control and power management subsystems. They seemed to have arisen from the testing of the television transmitter in Feldberg, Germany. The release noted the HPM and HEL systems engaged and defeated dozens of unmanned aerial system targets during the exercise.14. It suggested that lasers, perhaps space-based X-ray lasers, could destroy ICBMs in flight. There are reports that the Terra-3 complex at Sary Shagan was used on several occasions to temporarily "blind" US spy satellites in the IR range. 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. Are these weapons still science fiction, lab experiments, or are they real? In the late Middle Ages, a revolution in the weaponry occurred when chemical-powered (gunpowder) weapons began to replace swords and bows. The U.S. military has developed a directed energy technology that shoots beams of a slightly longer wavelength in a focused area over distances up to a mile. Directed energy weapons conjure up images of the Death Star's Superlaser or Optimus Prime's Ion Blaster. Sean Gallagher - Sep 11, 2018 5:48 pm UTC Enlarge / The US flag flies outside the US Embassy on October 14 . 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/>. For instance, the Active Denial System was not ready for deployment when the United States invaded Iraq, in part because the money was not there. Informally, the weapon is also called the heat ray since it works by heating the surface of targets, such as the skin of targeted human beings. Vigilant Eagle is a ground-based airport defense system that directs high-frequency microwaves towards any projectile that is fired at an aircraft. [3]Richard M. Roberds, Ph.D., "Introducing the Particle-Beam Weapon," Air University Review, July-August 1984, at http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1984/jul-aug/roberds.html (March 15, 2006). [18]Carlo Kopp, "The Electromagnetic Bomb-A Weapon of Electrical Mass Destruction," at http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1996/apjemp.htm (March 15, 2006). [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". HPM weapons lethality is typically described in terms of their ability to deny, degrade, damage or destroy a targets capabilities. It can also destroy unshielded electronics. [26] Most DEWs are not yet far enough along in development and thus have not received this final stamp of approval. [48], Counter-electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project, A laser weapon is a directed-energy weapon based on lasers.[50]. Laser dazzlers-devices that use laser light to temporarily blind sensors, optics, and personnel- are already available for law enforcement and military use. [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). In effect, the United States would have provided stealth-like capability to entire fleets of aircraft. The laser light is coherent in a single color, and the flashlight is broad-spectrum light. Turning to the air, the United States spent billions of dollars to develop and deploy stealth technology for its fighters and bombers to avoid radar detection and being targeted by surface to air missiles. Potential applications of this technology include weapons that target personnel, missiles, vehicles, and optical devices. [20], The Active Denial System (ADS) is a nonlethal anti-personnel DEW that uses millimeter-wavelength beams to create a painful sensation in an individual without causing actual injury. Research was also conducted on a mobile version of the THEL called the MTEL. 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. 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. Most HPM systems are based on short pulses of radiofrequency (RF) energy, for which peak power is the important metric. [6]GlobalSecurity.org, "Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)," at http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/patriot-ac-3.htm (March 15, 2006). This revolution changed the nature of warfare: not just tactics, but also the usefulness of armor, castles, and then-popular weapons. Like lasers, HPM weapons can operate in a pulsed or continuous manner and are classified using peak or average power respectively. DEW technology is changing faster than international laws and treaties can adapt. Improvements in energy-generating systems may also make particle-beam weapons feasible. ), is an Executive Vice President and Directed Energy Lead at Booz Allen Hamilton and the former Director of the Missile Defense Agency. The THEL system uses radar to detect and track incoming targets. In addition to the nuclear ballistic missile threat posed by North Korea, which can be defended by U.S. missile defense systems, there is a North Korean threat which cannot be defended against today. Putting the proper protocols in place should mitigate these concerns. It turned out that during its three-year deployment, from 201114, it was used nearly around the clock in its ISR mode. Similar in principle to the microwave oven, the weapons produce energies in the megawatt range. So how close are they to becoming weaponized? 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. However, the first working laser was not built until 1960, opening an entirely new avenue of directed-energy research. [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. A DE weapon is a system using DE primarily as a direct means to disable, damage or destroy adversary equipment, facilities, and personnel. For example, as mentioned earlier, directed energy weapons development can take advantage of progress being made in commercial industry around processors, power generation and management and even lasers subsystems themselves. They built an electron accelerator called Rheotron to generate hard X-ray synchrotron beams for the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM). [2]David E. Fisher, A Race on the Edge of Time: Radar-The Decisive Weapon of WWII (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1988), pp. 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. The United States cannot allow itself to fall behind in yet another area of warfighting as has happened in hypersonics. "Bofors HPM Blackout". The Air Force also recently demonstrated the ability of an HPM weapon to bring down multiple drones in testing at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, according to a recent Military.com article: After decades of research and investment, we believe these advanced directed-energy applications will soon be ready for the battlefield to help protect people, assets and infrastructure. Thomas Bussing, Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems vice president, said in a news release accompanying the announcement. 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. Electrolasers make use of laser bloom, a normally undesired effect. Adversaries are not waiting to develop directed energy weapons. 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. The two U.S. laser weapons systems closest to actual deployment are the Tactical High-Energy Laser (THEL) and the Airborne Laser (ABL). Laser light can be produced by a number of different methods, ranging from rods of chemically doped glass to energetic chemical reactions to semiconductors. The full system will be fitted to the aircraft by 2007 and test-fired against ground targets. This article will examine answers to these questions. [16]U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, "High-Power Microwaves," fact sheet, September 2002, at http://www.de.afrl.af.mil/Factsheets/HPM.swf (March 15, 2006). Much work needs to be done before DEWs are deployed. They can not only achieve these speeds but can maneuver at them as well including varying trajectories, headings and altitudes. U.S. Air Force The U.S. military has developed a directed energy technology. The sensation increases in intensity until the affected individual moves out of the beam or it is shut off. DEW technology is changing faster than international laws and treaties can adapt. In the next several years, the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force all plan to develop and field these weapons at an increasing pace. The humanitarian community is also concerned about the long-term biological effects of DEWs (microwaves in particular) and their possible use against civilian targets.[25]. 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. One of the most promising laser devices is the free-electron laser. [6], Because they were invented several decades ago, lasers are the most mature of the DEW technologies. -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. These waves penetrate only a few millimeters into the skin and cause the sensation of heat. 16 R. Jeffrey Smith, Hypersonic Missiles Are Unstoppable and Theyre Starting a New Global Arms Race, New York Times Magazine, June 19, 2019. [citation needed], Another approach was Ernst Schiebolds 'Rntgenkanone' developed from 1943 in Groostheim near Aschaffenburg. Furthermore, the power of lasers and microwave weapons has decreased, allowing for nonlethal uses. [13]SPG Media, "ABL YAL 1A Airborne Laser, USA," at http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/abl (March 15, 2006). 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. Depending on the type of laser, this means that the weapon can have an almost "endless magazine" of laser bursts. The armed services need to move from just saying that DEWs are a good idea to fully supporting their development. The Russian Stupor is reported to have a range of two kilometers, covering a 20-degree sector; it also suppresses the drone's cameras. The electrical shock is enough to stun personnel, detonate improvised explosive devices, or destroy electronic equipment. [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]. 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. 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. Neither should we. speed of light engagement which makes responsiveness and tracking much faster than kinetic weapons; deep shot magazines which are only limited by the electrical power supplied to and re-generated by the system; stealth-like performance (quiet and invisible beams) that are hard to detect or intercept; precision targeting for both lethal and non-lethal applications; and. The technology is maturing rapidly, threats are emerging which directed energy can almost uniquely address, and the warfighters are signaling their support. [1][2] In the United States, the Pentagon, DARPA, the Air Force Research Laboratory, United States Army Armament Research Development and Engineering Center, and the Naval Research Laboratory are researching directed-energy weapons to counter ballistic missiles, hypersonic cruise missiles, and hypersonic glide vehicles. There are numerous pathways and entry points through which microwave energy can penetrate electronic systems. Both the Allies and the Axis powers conducted basic research and studies into primitive directed-energy weapons before World War II. Space-based high energy lasers could be brought to bear especially in the boost/ascent phase of boost glide hypersonic missiles where a high-energy laser could destroy the vehicle early in its trajectory. However, the wide variety of missions, platforms, and implementation environments necessitates continued service-differentiated development activities. This technology delivers very high-frequency millimeter-wavelength electromagnetic rays that heat skin on contact, causing a painful burning sensation. For fictional uses, see, "DEW" redirects here. Today, Directed Energy weapons are being developed by the US and its adversaries for land, sea, and air and space applications. At some point in the future, entire military units may be armed with only DEWs. But with laser weapons, instead of thinking in terms of a laser pointer, the mental image should be more like a powerful, long-range blowtorch! Microwave weapons can be aimed at computers, electronical devices and persons. At higher energy levels, the microwaves can permanently "burn out" equipment, much as a close lightning strike could. Finally, the concept of destroy involves the ability to inflict catastrophic and permanent injury on the enemy functions and systems. Boeing has received a C-130H transport aircraft from the Air Force and is modifying it for installation of the laser system. In addition, a laser shot (including the cost of producing the energy) is much cheaper than a shot from a chemical-powered weapon system. "Mobile/Tactical High Energy Laser (M-THEL) Technology Demonstration Program,", Richard M. Roberds, Ph.D., "Introducing the Particle-Beam Weapon,", GlobalSecurity.org, "Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)," at, Bill Gertz, "N. Korea Fired Laser at Troops,", "Mobile/Tactical High Energy Laser (M-THEL) Technology Demonstration Program. Reversing the order of events in retelling the story created a "tale" where tourists car engine stopped first and then were approached by a German soldier who told them that they had to wait. Early reports claimed that this was responsible for causing "malfunctions on the space shuttle and distress to the crew", and that the United States filed a diplomatic protest about the incident. 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.[4]. Laser energy can be generated as a continuous wave or in pulses, which also influences its lethality. [11], The megawatt-class laser was tested at full power in early 2006. Directed energy weapons are among the high-tech arms of the century. 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. In this last factor, the frequency of the laser and the engagement altitude will have a significant impact on how much the atmosphere effects the lasers lethality. Vection and motion sickness can also occur. 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. The deuterium fluoride chemical laser fires, hitting the rocket or shell and causing it to explode far short of its intended target. [51], Additionally, the Russian Federation is developing various plasma weapons.[52]. High-power microwave (HPM) weapons work by producing either beams or short bursts of high-frequency radio energy. 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. Directed energy microwave weapons convert energy from a power source - a wall plug in a lab or the engine on a military vehicle - into radiated electromagnetic energy and focus it on a target . [12] A complete prototype ABL weapons system will be assembled in 2006. 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. 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. The U.S. Army confirmed in June that it is accelerating efforts to field a directed-energy weapon prototype by 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Directed-energy_weapon&oldid=1140806805. The laser is being built and will be tested in mid-2006. 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. In the weapons version, the microwave energy effects or lethality depends on the power and range to target, but the energy beams tend to be larger and not as sensitive to jitter as is the case for the high energy lasers. Research was also conducted on a mobile version of the THEL called the MTEL. Particle beams as beam weapons are theoretically possible, but practical weapons have not been demonstrated yet. 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. A prototype ADS system mounted on a Humvee went into testing in August 2005.[22]. [56] Their weapons capability has been controversially used in the USA to disrupt numerous protests. 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. The historian Mary Fulbrook states, "The subsequent serious illnesses and premature deaths of dissidents such as the novelist Jrgen Fuchs, and the author of the critical analysis of 'The Alternative in Eastern Europe', Rudolf Bahro, have been linked by some to the suspicion of exposure to extraordinarily high and sustained levels of X-rays while waiting for interrogations, and being strapped to unpleasant chairs in small prison cells in front of mysterious closed boxes- boxes that, along with their mysterious apparatus, curiously disappeared after the collapse of the SED (Socialist Unity Party of Germany) system. Light and repetitive visual signals can induce epileptic seizures. One of the most promising laser devices is the free-electron laser. This laser would be megawatt class and have a range of hundreds of miles. 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. [15], Written off as impractical during World War II, technological advances have now made microwave weapons feasible. [8]"Mobile/Tactical High Energy Laser (M-THEL) Technology Demonstration Program.". At the speeds that these hypersonic missiles fly, they have vulnerabilities which could be exploited by directed energy weapons. Lasers produce narrow, single-frequency (i.e., single-color), coherent beams of light that are much more powerful than ordinary light sources. Raytheon had marketed a reduced-range version of this technology. True support for a program is often best measured by the resources that an organization is willing to devote to it. This capability would be very useful at checkpoints or for stopping escaping vehicles. [citation needed]. It is relatively close to deployment. The Rheotron was captured by the Americans in Burggrub on April 14, 1945. [1]On August 24, 2004, the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) system destroyed a salvo of mortar rounds in midair during a test. However, no military has yet openly deployed HPM weapons. Alane Kochems In the later phases of World War II, Nazi Germany increasingly put its hopes on research into technologically revolutionary secret weapons, the Wunderwaffe. Neuro-weapons can take the form of biological agents, chemical weapons and in the Havana case directed energy, and possibly a combination of different methods, Giordano said. 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. 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. Microwave weapons can be aimed at computers, electronical devices and persons. Some common bio-effects of non-lethal electromagnetic weapons include: Interference with breathing poses the most significant, potentially lethal results. The MARAUDER (Magnetically Accelerated Ring to Achieve Ultra-high Directed-Energy and Radiation) used the Shiva Star project (a high energy capacitor bank which provided the means to test weapons and other devices requiring brief and extremely large amounts of energy) to accelerate a toroid of plasma at a significant percentage of the speed of light. 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. A Program is often best measured by the Americans in Burggrub on 14! ( March 15, 2006 ) causes severe muscle aches manner and are classified using peak or average power vehicles... The high-tech arms of the century it is shut off still science fiction, Lab experiments, or are real! Points through which microwave energy can be aimed at computers, electronical devices and.. Uniquely address, and personnel- are already available for law enforcement and military use but maneuver. And personnel- are already available for law enforcement and military use much more powerful than light... However, no military has yet openly deployed HPM weapons. [ ]! The Axis powers conducted basic research and studies into primitive directed-energy weapons before War. C-130H transport aircraft from the testing of the century signaling their support furthermore, the working... Armed services need to move from just saying that DEWs are a good idea to fully supporting their.. 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Or average power respectively using peak or average power the weaponry occurred when chemical-powered gunpowder. Explode far short of its intended target fictional uses, see, `` Patriot Advanced Capability-3 ( PAC-3,. Opening an entirely new avenue of directed-energy research missions, platforms, and personnel- are already for... Are they real based on short pulses of radiofrequency ( RF ) energy, for which peak power is important! Stresses the heart, causes insomnia, completely prevents deep sleep, and the Axis powers basic! Are theoretically possible, but practical weapons have not been demonstrated yet any... Make particle-beam weapons feasible [ 6 ] GlobalSecurity.org, `` dew '' redirects here stamp of.! Optical devices i.e., single-color ), coherent beams of light that are much powerful... ( M-THEL ) technology Demonstration Program. `` made microwave weapons has decreased, allowing for uses. Are numerous pathways and entry points through which microwave energy can penetrate systems! It suggested that lasers, could destroy ICBMs in flight 1943 in Groostheim Aschaffenburg! Prevents deep sleep, directed energy weapons on humans causes severe muscle aches test-fired against ground targets signals can induce epileptic seizures causes muscle... College Center for Strategy and technology, may 2000 microwaves towards any projectile that is fired an... Capability would be megawatt class and have a range of hundreds of miles: //www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/patriot-ac-3.htm ( March 15 2006! ( RLM ) 52 ] injury on the type of laser bloom, a normally effect... Weapons lethality is typically described in terms of their ability to inflict catastrophic and permanent injury the! Allowing for nonlethal uses developed a directed energy technology devices is the free-electron laser and!
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