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Directed-energy weapons emerge from secrecy
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| 01 May 2006 |
Andrew Koch JDW Contributing Strategic Editor
Washington, DC
Among the systems that could begin to enter the battlefield over the next decade are non-lethal weapons, a laser able to be relayed off a mirror suspended in the air and laser weapons. Through its acquisition of Mission Research, ATK is leading several efforts - some classified - that are only now beginning to come into public view. These include the Scorpion II: an airborne improvised explosive device jammer that uses high-powered microwaves to jam triggering mechanisms over a wide area.
However, it is a non-lethal weapon, using similar lasers, that has drawn the most attention. Dubbed the Pulse Energy Projectile, the weapon creates "an eye-safe energy" that is fired at a target - generally an individual. Upon impact, a plasma grows around the individual, creating an effect roughly equivalent to that of a 'flash/bang' grenade.
Before solid-state laser weapons will be ready, additional technical hurdles remain, noted Michael Bright, Director of Advanced Directed Energy at Lockheed Martin. In particular, Bright said, turning today's laboratory lasers into tomorrow's battlefield weapons will require advances in power, thermal management, beam control and other related technologies.
Bright claimed that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the only current US aircraft that has adequate excess power to accommodate such a weapon.
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