They could therefore avoid there being any evidence of repression or at least limit it. Funding has been cut to both of the programs. 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. 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. Directed-Energy Weapons Programs A number of countries are investing in directed-energy weapons programs. These include: Directed energy weapons have been in development for decades in our nations research and development organizations, national laboratories and industry. The only question is whether the United States and its allies will achieve that dominance before an adversary does. Loading. So how close are they to becoming weaponized? EM launchers use electrical energy to throw a mass at a target, thus making them distinct from directed energy. [48], Counter-electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project, A laser weapon is a directed-energy weapon based on lasers.[50]. These high-speed missiles fly at Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) and greater. 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. (It had little detectable effect on malleable organs such as the heart, stomach and intestines.) They were seen as tools for destroying ICBMs and drones, or for dispersing rioters. While they are both part of the electromagnetic spectrum, laser and microwave weapons operate very differently and have very different effects. 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. 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. [9], The ABL is a system that uses a megawatt chemical laser mounted on a modified Boeing 747 to shoot down theater ballistic missiles. Since 1999 those weapons have been upgraded for another 13 years. 10 Department of Defense, The National Defense Strategy 2018 (Washington D.C.: Office of the Secretary of Defense, 2018). 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. 11, Air War College Center for Strategy and Technology, May 2000. However, the Army felt the fixed-base laser system was too large and cut funding for the program after the demonstration phase. For example, a Navy ship-to-air laser will have different requirements than an Air Force air-to-air system, which will have different requirements than a space-based missile defense system and therefore different technological considerations. 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. Today, solid state electrical (including fiber) and hybrid lasers are being developed that are much lighter and smaller. 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. 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. Research was also conducted on a mobile version of the THEL called the MTEL. Types and magnitudes of exposure to electromagnetic fields are unknown.[78]. This destroys the device but produces electrical pulses in the terawatt range-the equivalent of 10 to 1,000 lightning strikes. These weapons were considered for both land and space-based systems. Because of its coherence, laser light can stay concentrated for very long distanceseven thousands of miles into space. Thus, the deny capability is not permanent because the affected systems can be easily restored to their previous operational condition. 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. What exactly is a directed energy weapon? [48] The effects can be latent, durable, highly disruptive and attribution is difficult. It is relatively close to deployment. 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. The device emits separate electromagnetic pulses to suppress navigation and transmission channels used to operate an aerial drone, terminating the drone's contact with its operator; the out-of-control drone then crashes. '[67] The British Ministry of Defence denied the existence of such a device. Andrew Gudgel. 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. Another revolution in weaponry is currently underway, with directed-energy weapons on the cusp of replacing chemical-powered weapons on the battlefield. When directed-energy weapons are mentioned, most people think of "death rays" or Hollywood's latest science fiction movie. [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. Laser energy can be generated as a continuous wave or in pulses, which also influences its lethality. Boeing has received a C-130H transport aircraft from the Air Force and is modifying it for installation of the laser system. In the later phases of World War II, Nazi Germany increasingly put its hopes on research into technologically revolutionary secret weapons, the Wunderwaffe. [citation needed], Another approach was Ernst Schiebolds 'Rntgenkanone' developed from 1943 in Groostheim near Aschaffenburg. Fort Lesley J. McNair However, directed-energy weapons (DEWs) are a reality, and several have already been tested under battlefield conditions. They can destroy, degrade or blind many other systems that contain sensors and electronics. A DE weapon is a system using DE primarily as a direct means to disable, damage or destroy adversary equipment, facilities, and personnel. One of the greatest attributes of directed energy weapons is that they operate at the speed of light. There are numerous pathways and entry points through which microwave energy can penetrate electronic systems. 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). This plan includes a program which aims to test high energy lasers on aircraft against surface to air and air to air missile threats. 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 skin of the missile heats up, melts, and deforms, and the target breaks up in midair. This laser would be megawatt class and have a range of hundreds of miles. Electrolasers make use of laser bloom, a normally undesired effect. 1 (January 1996), at http://www.afa.org/magazine/jan1996/0196airbo.asp (March 15, 2006). The Active Denial System (ADS) is a non-lethal directed-energy weapon developed by the U.S. military, designed for area denial, perimeter security and crowd control. Semiconductors and modern electronics are particularly susceptible to HPM attacks. [10], Once tracked by the TILL, the BILL measures the atmospheric distortion between the COIL and the missile. However, these lasers were generally large and heavy. The virus that causes COVID-19 most likely leaked from a Chinese laboratory, according to a classified report based on new intelligence and recently sent to the White House and key members . Between 200005, a prototype chemical laser successfully destroyed 46 rockets, artillery shells and mortar rounds in flight during field tests. Much work needs to be done before DEWs are deployed. The air-launched uses scramjets or rockets to power it throughout flight. Neither should we. 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. Other members of a crowd are unaffected, except by panic when they see people fainting, being sick, or running from the scene with their hands over their ears. True support for a program is often best measured by the resources that an organization is willing to devote to it. [38] The device comes in various sizes, including attached to a Humvee. The article states: 'The squawk box is highly directional which gives it its appeal. Millimeter waveband energy can penetrate human skin to a very shallow depth, heating the tissue below. A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy without a solid projectile, including lasers, microwaves, particle beams, and sound beams. 1, 2018, available at < https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/03/21/us-army-successfully-demos-laser-weapon-on-stryker-in-europe/>. Though the strategic missile defense concept has continued to the present under the Missile Defense Agency, most of the directed-energy weapon concepts were shelved. They are also used on ships as an anti-piracy measure. 1 Directed Energy Weapons. In addition, a laser shot (including the cost of producing the energy) is much cheaper than a shot from a chemical-powered weapon system. Rifle, bazooka and mortar rounds easily deformed the parabolic reflectors, rendering the wave amplification ineffective.[64]. The Pentagon believes that DEWs are legal under international law, but human rights groups are arguing that DEWs could be used inhumanely. [27][28][29] The first use of directed-energy weapons in combat between military forces was claimed to have occurred in Libya in August 2019 by Turkey, which claimed to use the ALKA directed-energy weapon. 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]. A prototype ADS system mounted on a Humvee went into testing in August 2005. At distances of 50200 meters (160660ft), the sound waves could act on organ tissues and fluids by repeatedly compressing and releasing compressive resistant organs such as the kidneys, spleen, and liver. HPM weapon technology is based on the same technology as radar devices, which already have a long history of research and development. [5]Suzann Chapman, "The Airborne Laser," Air Force Magazine, Vol. [26]David Ruppe, "Directed-Energy Weapons: Possible U.S. Use Against Iraq Could Threaten International Regimes," Global Security Newswire, at http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2002/020816-dew.htm (March 15, 2006). 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. 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. [74] Some of the victims of this method suffered from suspicious cases of cancer and have claimed that they had also been targeted with directed X-rays. [6], Because they were invented several decades ago, lasers are the most mature of the DEW technologies. DEW technology and its enabling infrastructure have matured to the point that DEWs can begin moving from the lab to the battlefield. 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). High-power microwave (HPM) weapons work by producing either beams or short bursts of high-frequency radio energy. 12 Jen Judson, U.S. 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. Both the Allies and the Axis powers conducted basic research and studies into primitive directed-energy weapons before World War II. [2]David E. Fisher, A Race on the Edge of Time: Radar-The Decisive Weapon of WWII (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1988), pp. DE warfare is military action involving the use of DE weapons, devices, and countermeasures to either cause direct damage or destruction of adversary equipment, facilities, and personnel, or to determine, exploit, reduce, or prevent hostile use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) through damage, destruction, and disruption, 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. On August 24, 2004, the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) system destroyed a salvo of mortar rounds in midair during a test. The Russian Stupor is reported to have a range of two kilometers, covering a 20-degree sector; it also suppresses the drone's cameras. A laser weapon could target not only a single vehicle in a convoy, but also a specific spot on that vehicle (e.g., the engine) and disable it without injuring the passengers. Retrieved 2010-01-04. During the Cold War, the U.S. and the Soviet Union studied the possibility of creating particle-beam weapons, which fire streams of electrons, protons, neutrons, or even neutral hydrogen atoms. 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. 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. 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. In August 2004, the THEL system shot down multiple mortar rounds during testing. The two U.S. laser weapons systems closest to actual deployment are the Tactical High-Energy Laser (THEL) and the Airborne Laser (ABL). The U.S. military has developed an Active Denial System that aims microwaves at people to cause pain without injury. National Defense University Imagine how much the geopolitical calculus would change on the peninsula if a layered, integrated system of high energy lasers and high-power microwave weapons was deployed to defend against these threats. Directed energy weapons are among the high-tech arms of the century. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Directed-energy_weapon&oldid=1140806805. The word laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Depending on several operational factors, directed-energy weapons may be cheaper to operate than conventional weapons in certain contexts. X-ray lasers may be possible in the not too distant future. 1, Air War College Center for Strategy and Technology, May 2000. As defined by Direct Energy Weapons Agency is any weapon, device or electronic that uses any kind of energy to disable, harass, assault, incapacitate another human being, an enemy's weapons, their equipment, hideouts, etc. 6 David Stoudt, Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, private communication. getty. 8, No. Both the Allies and the Axis powers conducted basic research and studies into primitive directed-energy weapons before World War II. 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. The sensation increases in intensity until the affected individual moves out of the beam or it is shut off. For fictional uses, see, "DEW" redirects here. A year later, testing showed that the ADS could produce effects at ranges beyond current small-arms range. 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. 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 systems of missile defense are expected to come online no sooner than the mid to late-2020s. 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. 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. However, considerable work still needs to be done before they can be deployed. In the Star Wars movies, a wide variety of directed energy weapons are depicted, from handheld light sabers to massive, spaceship-mounted laser cannons. 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. 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. 019, available at < https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Interactive/2018/11-2019-Missile-Defense-Review/The%202019%20MDR_Executive%20Summary.pdf>. A year later, testing showed that the ADS could produce effects at ranges beyond current small-arms range. Microwave electromagnetic weapons can also stun a victim. 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. In most cases, the target system must be shut off and restarted, and may require minor repairs before it can operate normally again. 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]. Laser dazzlers-devices that use laser light to temporarily blind sensors, optics, and personnel- are already available for law enforcement and military use. 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. 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. Improvements in energy-generating systems may also make particle-beam weapons feasible. 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. Electrical blooming occurs only in charged particle beams, as ions of like charge repel one another. The laser diodes, fiber amplifiers, battery and power management, thermal control, and optical systems are also much more advanced. For ex. Lung tissue was affected at only the closest ranges as atmospheric air is highly compressible and only the blood rich alveoli resist compression. "Mobile/Tactical High Energy Laser (M-THEL) Technology Demonstration Program," Defense Update, at http://www.defense-update.com/directory/THEL.htm (March 10, 2006). This revolution changed the nature of warfare: not just tactics, but also the usefulness of armor, castles, and then-popular weapons. This type of weapon shows great potential as a riot-control device or area-denial system. The technology is maturing rapidly, threats are emerging which directed energy can almost uniquely address, and the warfighters are signaling their support. The system consists of a missile-detecting and tracking subsystem (MDT), a command and control system, and a scanning array. 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. Energy that would otherwise be focused on the target spreads out and the beam becomes less effective: Plasma weapons fire a beam, bolt, or stream of plasma, which is an excited state of matter consisting of atomic electrons & nuclei and free electrons if ionized, or other particles if pinched. HPM lethality can be affected by atmospheric conditions as well, but to a much lesser degree than high-energy laser (HEL) weapons. 5-1111, Special Report, Phillips Laboratory, March 1996, 76. In addition, a technique known as adaptive optics has been developed for many years. LRAD systems are used for long-range communications in a variety of applications[53] and as a means of non-lethal, non-projectile crowd control. A14.5 kHz E V2K 28-Dec-8927-Oct-92Oliver M. LoweryOliver M. LoweryPresents subliminal auditory information to the human via remotely applied waves US 5356368 A4-212 Hz MK 1-Mar-9118-Oct-94Robert A. MonroeInterstate Industries Inc. (dba Monroe Products)Method of and apparatus for inducing .

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