[24] Would the permanent blinding of a soldier struck by a ZM-87's laser beam be considered intentional or accidental? If the microwave energy travels through the targets own antenna, dome, or other sensor opening, then this pathway is commonly referred to as the front door.7 On the other hand, if the microwave emissions travel through cracks, seams, trailing wires, metal conduits, or seals of the target, then this pathway is called the back door.8. The word laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. A microwave weapon can achieve this result by causing malfunctions within certain relay and processing circuits within the enemy target system. Laser weapons potentially eliminate many logistical problems in terms of ammunition supply, as long as there is enough energy to power them. This laser would be megawatt class and have a range of hundreds of miles. Today, Directed Energy weapons are being developed by the US and its adversaries for land, sea, and air and space applications. We proved that the technology could be effective, but its size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements made the laser weapons impracticable to field. They have been used on several occasions to repel pirate attacks by sending warnings and by producing intolerable levels of sound. The Air Force Research Lab's Propulsion Directorate has studied using generators that use high-temperature superconducting wire and high-voltage capacitors. [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). They were seen as tools for destroying ICBMs and drones, or for dispersing rioters. U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, "High-Power Microwaves," fact sheet, September 2002, at, Dr. Stephen Adams, "Electrical Power and Thermal Management for Airborne Directed Energy Weapons," U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, September 2001, at, Carlo Kopp, "The Electromagnetic Bomb-A Weapon of Electrical Mass Destruction," at, GlobalSecurity.org, "High Power Microwave (HPM)/E-Bomb," at, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, "Active Denial System," fact sheet, September 2005, at, Press release, "Northrop Grumman Surpasses Power, Run-Time Requirements of Joint High Power Solid-State Laser Program for Military Use," Northrop Grumman Corporation, November 9, 2005, at, China North Industries Corporation, "ZM-87 Portable Laser Disturber Fact Sheet," quoted in Human Rights Watch, "Blinding Laser Weapons: The Need to Ban a Cruel and Inhumane Weapon," September 1995, at, "Electromagnetic Weapons: Come Fry with Me,", David Ruppe, "Directed-Energy Weapons: Possible U.S. Use Against Iraq Could Threaten International Regimes," Global Security Newswire, Russias New START Breach Means U.S. Nuclear Weapons Modernization Is a Must, North Koreas Growing ICBM Threat: How America and South Korea Should Respond, China Surpasses U.S. in Nuclear Missile Launchers; U.S. Unprepared to Deter Growing Threat. 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 . However, no military has yet openly deployed HPM weapons. (Invented by Max Steenbeck at Siemens-Schuckert in the 1930s, these were later called Betatrons by the Americans.) For example, the static and distortion that high voltage power lines have on a car radio causes no lasting damage to the radio after the car leaves the area. For example, the MDR proposes that the Missile Defense Agency study the potential to develop and field space-based lasers to intercept ballistic missiles.15. What are the challenges and next steps? 15-31. National Defense University However, as with the development of any unprecedented military capability, there are risks, challenges and limitations involving their cost, schedule and performance. The air-launched uses scramjets or rockets to power it throughout flight. The countries abandoned particle-beam weapon research as impracticable.[3]. The power output necessary for a weapons-grade laser ranges from 10 kilowatts to 1 megawatt. This capability would be very useful at checkpoints or for stopping escaping vehicles. ), is an Executive Vice President and Directed Energy Lead at Booz Allen Hamilton and the former Director of the Missile Defense Agency. Like lasers, HPM weapons can operate in a pulsed or continuous manner and are classified using peak or average power respectively. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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]. This technology delivers very high-frequency millimeter-wavelength electromagnetic rays that heat skin on contact, causing a painful burning sensation. Magnus Karlsson (2009). 12 Jen Judson, U.S. Depending on the type of laser, this means that the weapon can have an almost "endless magazine" of laser bursts. Though intended to cause severe pain while leaving no lasting damage, concern has been voiced as to whether the system could cause irreversible damage to the eyes. Developing hypersonic interceptors will also be an option in the U.S. defense architecture. Particle beams would have tremendous power as weapons. 6 David Stoudt, Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, private communication. 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. Stupor is reported to have been used by Russian forces during the Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war. Particle-beam weapons can use charged or neutral particles, and can be either endoatmospheric or exoatmospheric. It was developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Raytheon for riot-control duty. 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. However, the first working laser was not built until 1960, opening an entirely new avenue of directed-energy research. 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. Increasing laser power and improving the beam quality can also help to mitigate atmospheric effects in many cases. In the later phases of World War II, Nazi Germany increasingly put its hopes on research into technologically revolutionary secret weapons, the Wunderwaffe. 3. 11 Megan Eckstein, Navy to Field High-Energy Laser Weapon, Laser Dazzler on Ships This Year as Development Continues, USNI News, May 30, 2019. [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). One of the most promising laser devices is the free-electron laser. [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. DEWs send energy, instead of matter, toward a target, and can be separated into three types: laser weapons, particle-beam weapons, and high-power microwave (HPM) or ra-dio-frequency (RF) weapons. HPM weapon technology is based on the same technology as radar devices, which already have a long history of research and development. ", "Iran starts producing laser weapons for air defense", "Iran achieves Laser Weapon System's deflection technology", "Iran is Producing Laser Air Defense System", "Turkey's laser weapon ARMOL passes acceptance tests", "Janes | Latest defence and security news", "Turkey's laser gun passes acceptance tests", "Is Turkey the first country to shoot down a drone with a laser? 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. The intent was to pre-ionize ignition in aircraft engines and hence serve as anti-aircraft DEW and bring planes down into the reach of the flak. 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. These include: Directed energy weapons have been in development for decades in our nations research and development organizations, national laboratories and industry. In an electrolaser, twin laser beams create an ionized channel inside the atmosphere, which conducts electricity. 1, 2018, available at < https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/03/21/us-army-successfully-demos-laser-weapon-on-stryker-in-europe/>. Depending on the particulars of the weapon, and how it is used, ERP levels can reach into the hundreds of gigawatts or higher. This type of weapon shows great potential as a riot-control device or area-denial system. 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). 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. For example, in 2005 the cruise liner Seabourn Spirit used a sonic weapon to defend itself from Somali pirates in the Indian ocean. Fort Lesley J. McNair 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. Directed energy weapons are among the high-tech arms of the century. Directed Energy Weapon / Targeted Individual Patents . Moreover, cheap countermeasures can be applied to existing missiles. 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. Among the directed-energy weapons the Nazis investigated were X-ray beam weapons developed under Heinz Schmellenmeier, Richard Gans and Fritz Houtermans. 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. Directed energy weapons are no longer just science fiction. 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. 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. Artilleri-Tidskrift (22009): s. s 1215. 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 plan includes a program which aims to test high energy lasers on aircraft against surface to air and air to air missile threats. 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). In the late Middle Ages, a revolution in the weaponry occurred when chemical-powered (gunpowder) weapons began to replace swords and bows. Therefore, currently deployed defenses against ballistic missiles will not be effective in defending against these non-ballistic threats. [81] After the end of the Cold War, the Terra-3 facility was found to be a low-power laser testing site with limited satellite tracking capabilities, which is now abandoned and partially disassembled. [88], Media related to Directed-energy weapons at Wikimedia Commons, This article is about real uses of directed energy weapons. 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. The command and control system determines the missile launch point. In addition, a laser shot (including the cost of producing the energy) is much cheaper than a shot from a chemical-powered weapon system. In addition to being able to scale effects on a target, directed energy weapons have inherent attributes that are attractive to the warfighter. The THEL system uses radar to detect and track incoming targets. While DEWs are not a panacea, the armed services should fully support research and development of these useful technologies. The U.S. Army confirmed in June that it is accelerating efforts to field a directed-energy weapon prototype by 2022. 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. In early versions of laser weapons, the light was generated by chemical reactions. Directed energy weapon could be responsible for auditory hallucinations, brain injuries. Another revolution in weaponry is currently underway, with directed-energy weapons on the cusp of replacing chemical-powered weapons on the battlefield. While centuries of technological advances have improved the power of these materials, the basic operating principle of chemical-powered weapons ultimately remains the same. [citation needed], Another approach was Ernst Schiebolds 'Rntgenkanone' developed from 1943 in Groostheim near Aschaffenburg. Laser dazzlers-devices that use laser light to temporarily blind sensors, optics, and personnel- are already available for law enforcement and military use. The effects can be latent, durable, highly disruptive and attribution is difficult. The sensation increases in intensity until the affected individual moves out of the beam or it is shut off. However, directed-energy weapons (DEWs) are a reality, and several have already been tested under battlefield conditions. [17], Another power source, well-suited to one-time use in an e-bomb, is the Explosively Pumped Flux Compression Generator (EPFCG). 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. 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. [4] Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th ed., s.v. The two U.S. laser weapons systems closest to actual deployment are the Tactical High-Energy Laser (THEL) and the Airborne Laser (ABL). So hypersonic kinetic interceptors would have to be capable of achieving speeds of Mach 15 and higher. 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. 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. Furthermore, the power of lasers and microwave weapons has decreased, allowing for nonlethal uses. [5]Suzann Chapman, "The Airborne Laser," Air Force Magazine, Vol. In addition, controllers can vary the strength of the energy put on a target, unlike a bullet or exploding bomb, allowing for nonlethal uses. 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. [83] A few years later, the cruise liner Spirit of Adventure also defended itself from Somali pirates by using its LRAD to force them to retreat. When directed-energy weapons are mentioned, most people think of "death rays" or Hollywood's latest science fiction movie. [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. They have strong physical and psychological effects and can be used for military and terrorist activities. He has pressed for the development of hypersonic weapons by the United States as well as a defense against them. , 2019, available at . These high-speed missiles fly at Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) and greater. 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. These waves penetrate only a few millimeters into the skin and cause the sensation of heat. 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. A possible future development is the electrolaser. 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. Blooming is also a problem in particle-beam weapons. The number of "shots" a laser weapon can produce is limited only by its power supply. 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. There is no injury to the target individual. Laser dazzlers-devices that use laser light to temporarily blind sensors, optics, and personnel- are already available for law enforcement and military use. "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. The deuterium fluoride chemical laser fires, hitting the rocket or shell and causing it to explode far short of its intended target. Another power source, well-suited to one-time use in an e-bomb, is the Explosively Pumped Flux Compression Generator (EPFCG). What exactly is a directed energy weapon? However, directed-energy weapons (DEWs) are a reality, and several have already been tested under battlefield conditions. The lasers on the current path to weaponization include solid state combined fiber and crystal slab as well as hybrid lasers. They have strong physical and psychological effects and can be used for military and terrorist activities. 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. The full system will be fitted to the aircraft by 2007 and test-fired against ground targets. The countries abandoned particle-beam weapon research as impracticable. It stresses the heart, causes insomnia, completely prevents deep sleep, and causes severe muscle aches. High-power microwave (HPM) and high-power millimeter wave weapons emit beams of electromagnetic energy typically from about 10 megahertz to the 100 gigahertz frequency range. For example, atmospheric conditions such as turbulence, haze, clouds, etc. There are two types of hypersonic weapons, boost glide and air-launched high-speed cruise missiles. Like lasers, particle beams travel at the speed of light, but unlike lasers, the particles in a particle beam have mass, giving the beam tremendous kinetic energy. X-ray lasers may be possible in the not too distant future. [86], Also, "directed-energy weapons that target the central nervous system and cause neurophysiological disorders may violate the Certain Conventional Weapons Convention of 1980. A DE weapon is a system using DE primarily as a direct means to But by far, the most ambitious program underway in DOD is being led by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The term deny is defined as the ability to eliminate the enemys ability to operate without inflicting harm on the system. These weapons were considered for both land and space-based systems. 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! [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). [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. For fictional uses, see, "DEW" redirects here. 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). For example, lasers can cut through steel, aluminum, and many other materials in a matter of seconds. Vigilant Eagle is a ground-based airport defense system that directs high-frequency microwaves towards any projectile that is fired at an aircraft. They hurt and kill with electromagnetic power. A prototype ADS system mounted on a Humvee went into testing in August 2005.[22]. Because they were invented several decades ago, lasers are the most mature of the DEW technologies. [63], During the early 1940s Axis engineers developed a sonic cannon that could cause fatal vibrations in its target body. DEW technology and its enabling infrastructure have matured to the point that DEWs can begin moving from the lab to the battlefield. "Raytheon focuses on non-lethal weapons", Andrew Johnson. umbrella term covering technologies that produce a beam of concentrated electromagnetic energy or atomic or subatomic particles. [2], 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. Improvements in energy-generating systems may also make particle-beam weapons feasible. Lieutenant General Henry Trey Obering, III, USAF (Ret. PRISM Vol. 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.

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