Depending on the type of laser, this means that the weapon can have an almost "endless magazine" of laser bursts. 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. EM launchers use electrical energy to throw a mass at a target, thus making them distinct from directed energy. Discrete, mission-aligned efforts will maintain our pace of development in the race to get these technologies to the field. 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. Andrew Gudgel. 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 . They have strong physical and psychological effects and can be used for military and terrorist activities. 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! "laser.". This revolution changed the nature of warfare: not just tactics, but also the usefulness of armor, castles, and then-popular weapons. It was a psychological warfare method which could involve the group based and systematic gaslighting of targets, among other things. This type of weapon shows great potential as a riot-control device or area-denial system. A composite image of a satellite firing an energy weapon at a target on Earth. "Bofors HPM Blackout". However, the Army felt the fixed-base laser system was too large and cut funding for the program after the demonstration phase. The countries abandoned particle-beam weapon research as impracticable. [16] When the microwave energy encounters unshielded wires or electronic components, it induces a current in them, which causes the equipment to malfunction. 15 Office of the Secretary of Defense, Missile Defense Review, January 2019, available at < https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Interactive/2018/11-2019-Missile-Defense-Review/The%202019%20MDR_Executive%20Summary.pdf>. 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. The full system will be fitted to the aircraft by 2007 and test-fired against ground targets. [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. Directed energy weapons, also known by the brand name Active Denial System, are a new technology developed by the U.S. military. 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. [61][62], Stories in the 1930s and World War Two gave rise to the idea of an "engine-stopping ray". Potential applications of this technology include weapons that target personnel, missiles, vehicles, and optical devices. Lasers produce narrow, single-frequency (i.e., single-color), coherent beams of light that are much more powerful than ordinary light sources. 7, No. 00:38. 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. HPM lethality can be affected by atmospheric conditions as well, but to a much lesser degree than high-energy laser (HEL) weapons. The countries abandoned particle-beam weapon research as impracticable.[3]. Similar in principle to the microwave oven, the weapons produce energies in the megawatt range. As another example, high energy lasers could be used to protect forward-deployed troops and bases from attacks by swarms of unmanned aircraft carrying explosive devices. Think of the difference between a laser pointer and a flashlight. 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. 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. With the ever-increasing use of electronics in weapons systems, HPM devices could have a devastating but nonlethal effect on the battlefield. At higher energy levels, the microwaves can permanently "burn out" equipment, much as a close lightning strike could. They could therefore avoid there being any evidence of repression or at least limit it. Such stories were circulating in Britain around 1938 and during the war British Intelligence relaunched the myth as a "British engine-stopping ray," trying to spoof the Germans into researching what the British had supposedly invented in an attempt to tie up German scientific resources. The THEL system uses radar to detect and track incoming targets. What are Directed Energy Weapons? Electrical blooming occurs only in charged particle beams, as ions of like charge repel one another. [45] The energy spikes are tailored to enter missiles through antennae or sensor apertures where they can fool guidance systems, scramble computer memories or even burn out sensitive electronic components. [71] The negative effects of the radiation poisoning and cancer would extend past the period of incarceration. 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. [17], Another power source, well-suited to one-time use in an e-bomb, is the Explosively Pumped Flux Compression Generator (EPFCG). In March 2003, North Korea may have used a ZM-87 to "paint" two U.S. Apache helicopters patrolling the Demilitarized Zone. Semiconductors and modern electronics are particularly susceptible to HPM attacks. The military has rhetorically embraced the wonders of DEWs, but it has not always opened its wallet to fund the technologies. 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. As they become smaller, DEW weapons will first be vehicle-mounted and then possibly man-portable. [8], In August 2004, the THEL system shot down multiple mortar rounds during testing. 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. What if the United States could deploy effective anti-missile lasers on its aircraft to defeat any missile(s) fired at them? [19]GlobalSecurity.org, "High Power Microwave (HPM)/E-Bomb," at http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/hpm.htm (March 15, 2006). 11, Air War College Center for Strategy and Technology, May 2000. [19], A subset of HPM devices can affect the human body. '[67] The British Ministry of Defence denied the existence of such a device. As the Pentagon addresses these issues, it should do so in the same way that it would for any other category of weapon that it has reviewed. HPM weapon technology is based on the same technology as radar devices, which already have a long history of research and development. One of the most promising laser devices is the free-electron laser. 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 kinetic energy imparted by a particle stream destroys the target by heating the target's atoms to the point that the material literally explodes. PRISM Vol. The meaning of degrade is to remove the enemys ability to operate and to potentially inflict minimal injury on electronic hardware systems. 10 Department of Defense, The National Defense Strategy 2018 (Washington D.C.: Office of the Secretary of Defense, 2018). 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. 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. Washington, DC 20319-5066. The Ukrainian army are reported to use the Ukrainian KVS G-6, with a 3.5km range and able to operate continuously for 30 minutes. 14 Oriana Powlyk, Raytheon Directed-Energy Weapons Down Drones in Air Force Demonstration, Military.com, May 1, 2019, available at . 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). 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. The laser light is coherent in a single color, and the flashlight is broad-spectrum light. The distinction between them is the wavelength/frequency of the energy. There is no injury to the target individual. 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. The pain forces the person to flee the area. "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. However, the Army felt the fixed-base laser system was too large and cut funding for the program after the demonstration phase. When using laser weapons, the warfighters will need new situational awareness and battle management tools because of the potential long-range effects to avoid friendly systems fratricide. [26] Most DEWs are not yet far enough along in development and thus have not received this final stamp of approval. In an electrolaser, twin laser beams create an ionized channel inside the atmosphere, which conducts electricity. The Pentagon believes that DEWs are legal under international law, but human rights groups are arguing that DEWs could be used inhumanely. [21], A demonstration system was tested at Kirtland Air Force Base in 2000. Since 1999 those weapons have been upgraded for another 13 years. Furthermore, the power of lasers and microwave weapons has decreased, allowing for nonlethal uses. 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. High-power microwave (HPM) weapons work by producing either beams or short bursts of high-frequency radio energy. 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. However, current research focuses on using them as a means of nonlethal area defense and as anti-electronic weapons rather than as "death rays.". 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. "Mobile/Tactical High Energy Laser (M-THEL) Technology Demonstration Program," Defense Update, at http://www.defense-update.com/directory/THEL.htm (March 10, 2006). The EPFCG uses chemical explosives to compress an electrically charged coil. 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. 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. 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 fact, the megawatt-class Airborne Laser developed in the late 1990s and early 2000s required an entire 747 aircraft to hold the equipment. In addition to being able to scale effects on a target, directed energy weapons have inherent attributes that are attractive to the warfighter. 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. (Courtesy photo), The High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator, or HEL MD, is the result of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command research (U.S. Army), The premier professional military and academic publishing house. Artilleri-Tidskrift (22009): s. s 1215. 9 Eileen Walling, High Power Microwaves, Strategic and Operational Implications for Warfare, Occasional Paper no. This also includes fundamental differences such as the wavelength of the lasers and the beam quality required for success. [49], Both Russia and Ukraine are reported to use these devices during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. 4 Slab Lasers, RP Photonics Encyclopedia website, available at . 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. These systems of missile defense are expected to come online no sooner than the mid to late-2020s. . 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. [82], LRADs are often fitted on commercial and military ships. Various morally flexible, highly educated professionals provide their services to the states most probably lured by utilitarian gains and acting not only against the law, but against any moral value, their Ippocratical oath and other professional ethics. 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. There are also three types of EM [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. The Symptoms of Being Attacked by Directed Energy Weapons DEW symptoms: Causes headaches, intense psychological and physiological stress in that you can feel all your insides. Fixing the Research and Deployment Bottlenecks. 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. [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). 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. -13.1, Electronic Warfare (Washington, DC: Department of Defense, 2012). However, no military has yet openly deployed HPM weapons. 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. 5-1111, Special Report, Phillips Laboratory, March 1996, 76. By Henry Trey Obering, III
In addition, a technique known as adaptive optics has been developed for many years. 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. Both the Allies and the Axis powers conducted basic research and studies into primitive directed-energy weapons before World War II. [8]"Mobile/Tactical High Energy Laser (M-THEL) Technology Demonstration Program.". They hurt and kill with electromagnetic power. In most cases, the target system must be shut off and restarted, and may require minor repairs before it can operate normally again. 3. The word laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. For other uses, see, Northern Ireland "squawk box" field trials. 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