At the speeds that these hypersonic missiles fly, they have vulnerabilities which could be exploited by directed energy weapons. When directed-energy weapons are mentioned, most people think of "death rays" or Hollywood's latest science fiction movie. Raytheon had marketed a reduced-range version of this technology. These high-speed missiles fly at Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) and greater. Directed energy weapons are among the high-tech arms of the century. 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. The Air Force Research Lab's Propulsion Directorate has studied using generators that use high-temperature superconducting wire and high-voltage capacitors. These weapons were considered for both land and space-based systems. This technology delivers very high-frequency millimeter-wavelength electromagnetic rays that heat skin on contact, causing a painful burning sensation. Since 1999 those weapons have been upgraded for another 13 years. Like lasers, HPM weapons can operate in a pulsed or continuous manner and are classified using peak or average power respectively. 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. What are Directed Energy Weapons? The article states: 'The squawk box is highly directional which gives it its appeal. But again, there are major advances in these areas being made especially with the technology that has been developing in the electric car industry. It is developing a very high-power laser capable of being eventually deployed on a space-based platform to target missiles during their boost/ascent/midcourse phase. A DE weapon is a system using DE primarily as a direct means to disable, damage or destroy adversary equipment, facilities, and personnel. [71] The negative effects of the radiation poisoning and cancer would extend past the period of incarceration. 11, Air War College Center for Strategy and Technology, May 2000. When the LaWS was being integrated onto the ship, the designers and developers envisioned that it would be used several hours a day. low-cost per shot compared to traditional munitions. While not a rifle or gun, it is so nicknamed as it is handled in the same way as a personal rifle. 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. [48], Counter-electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project, A laser weapon is a directed-energy weapon based on lasers.[50]. For example, when deployed, the anti-ballistic missile Airborne Laser will cost approximately $1,000 per shot,[5] while each Patriot missile currently costs $2 million to $3 million. The armed services need to move from just saying that DEWs are a good idea to fully supporting their development. Artilleri-Tidskrift (22009): s. s 1215. [63], During the early 1940s Axis engineers developed a sonic cannon that could cause fatal vibrations in its target body. Electrical blooming occurs only in charged particle beams, as ions of like charge repel one another. [9], The ABL is a system that uses a megawatt chemical laser mounted on a modified Boeing 747 to shoot down theater ballistic missiles. 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. Since the invention of gunpowder, a weapon's effectiveness has no longer depended on the wielder's strength, but on the chemical energy of the propellant or explosive. The Pentagon believes that DEWs are legal under international law, but human rights groups are arguing that DEWs could be used inhumanely. Another revolution in weaponry is currently underway, with directed-energy weapons on the cusp of replacing chemical-powered weapons on the battlefield. A year later, testing showed that the ADS could produce effects at ranges beyond current small-arms range. 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. The Beacon Illuminator Laser system, which measures and corrects for atmospheric distortion, has also been shipped to Boeing for testing. 1 Department of Defense Joint Publication 3-13.1, Electronic Warfare (Washington, DC: Department of Defense, 2012). Therefore, currently deployed defenses against ballistic missiles will not be effective in defending against these non-ballistic threats. Think of the difference between a laser pointer and a flashlight. Similar in principle to the microwave oven, the weapons produce energies in the megawatt range. One of the most promising laser devices is the free-electron laser. European Parliament One of the greatest attributes of directed energy weapons is that they operate at the speed of light. The Sodium Guidestar at the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate's Starfire Optical Range. This makes targeting and tracking easier as well. [25]"Electromagnetic Weapons: Come Fry with Me," The Economist, January 30, 2003, at http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030130-ebomb01.htm (March 15, 2006). Directed-energy weapons can be used discreetly; radiation does not generate sound and is invisible if outside the visible spectrum. [24] Would the permanent blinding of a soldier struck by a ZM-87's laser beam be considered intentional or accidental? This article will examine answers to these questions. In addition, a laser shot (including the cost of producing the energy) is much cheaper than a shot from a chemical-powered weapon system. 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). The military has rhetorically embraced the wonders of DEWs, but it has not always opened its wallet to fund the technologies. The U.S. military has developed an Active Denial System that aims microwaves at people to cause pain without injury. 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 . Research was also conducted on a mobile version of the THEL called the MTEL. [18], Paired with a microwave generator, an EPFCG could produce an ultrashort, intense microwave burst. As DOD works to develop and incorporate these technologies, much of the work should be collaborative, such as improvements in materials, power generation, thermal control, etc. Light is, for practical purposes, unaffected by, Lasers travel at light-speed and have long range, making them suitable for use in. 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. getty. The virtual inaudibility of the equipment is said to produce a "spooky" psychological effect. Finally, the concept of destroy involves the ability to inflict catastrophic and permanent injury on the enemy functions and systems. [88], Media related to Directed-energy weapons at Wikimedia Commons, This article is about real uses of directed energy weapons. 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. The skin of the missile heats up, melts, and deforms, and the target breaks up in midair. Are these weapons still science fiction, lab experiments, or are they real? and also Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) Symptoms of extremely high and extremely low EMFs and Directed Energy Weapons or (DEW) Please keep in mind that not all symptoms are experienced in an exact order - you may experience the worst symptoms first - or the least of the symptoms in a later stage. "laser.". [21]U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, "Active Denial System," fact sheet, September 2005, at http://www.de.afrl.af.mil/Factsheets/ActiveDenial.swf (March 15, 2006). For high energy lasers, lethality depends on the power output of the laser, the purity and concentration of the light (beam quality), the target range, the ability to keep the laser on the target aimpoint (jitter control and tracking), and the atmospheric environment the laser traverses to the target. What if the United States could deploy effective anti-missile lasers on its aircraft to defeat any missile(s) fired at them? [82], LRADs are often fitted on commercial and military ships. However, considerable work still needs to be done before they can be deployed. The destructive power of directed energy weapons (their lethality) derives from the amount of energy transferred to the target over time. [8], In August 2004, the THEL system shot down multiple mortar rounds during testing. 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 EPFCG uses chemical explosives to compress an electrically charged coil. 3 How a Fiber Laser Works, SPI Lasers International website, available at . There are also three types of EM Development of the THEL began in 1996 as a joint program between the United States and Israel to develop a laser system capable of shooting down Katyusha rockets, artillery, and mortar shells. Because they were invented several decades ago, lasers are the most mature of the DEW technologies. 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. [12] A complete prototype ABL weapons system will be assembled in 2006. -13.1, Electronic Warfare (Washington, DC: Department of Defense, 2012). [6]GlobalSecurity.org, "Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)," at http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/patriot-ac-3.htm (March 15, 2006). The power levels are driven by prime power generation limitations, and ERPs depend on the antenna design and aperture (i.e., size).6, Almost everyone has probably experienced the lethality of a microwave device when they inadvertently put a metal object into a kitchen microwave oven and watched the sparks fly. This same energy can be applied at higher powers for weapon effects. 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. This laser would be megawatt class and have a range of hundreds of miles. The THEL system uses radar to detect and track incoming targets. It is relatively close to deployment. Neither should we. In 2017, the Air Force Secretary and Chief of Staff signed the DE Flight Plan outlining the path ahead for the Air Force to develop and deploy both high-energy lasers and high-power RF weapons for its aircraft. Rifle, bazooka and mortar rounds easily deformed the parabolic reflectors, rendering the wave amplification ineffective.[64]. The THEL system uses radar to detect and track incoming targets. [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). There are two types of hypersonic weapons, boost glide and air-launched high-speed cruise missiles. True support for a program is often best measured by the resources that an organization is willing to devote to it. umbrella term covering technologies that produce a beam of concentrated electromagnetic energy or atomic or subatomic particles. Depending on factors such as burst height, microwave frequency, and the shielding around the target electronics, such an e-bomb could have an effective range of several hundred meters. Lasers are becoming smaller and more powerful. 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. The Sodium Guidestar at the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate's Starfire Optical Range. 7, No. There is no injury to the target individual. In addition, while you are firing on one power source, you can be charging another for near continuous operation. [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. . The short, intense bursts of energy produced by HPM devices damage equipment without injuring personnel. What are the challenges and next steps? In the later phases of World War II, Nazi Germany increasingly put its hopes on research into technologically revolutionary secret weapons, the Wunderwaffe. However, a variety of optical methods can be used to correct for blooming. 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. Laser energy can be generated as a continuous wave or in pulses, which also influences its lethality. Laser dazzlers-devices that use laser light to temporarily blind sensors, optics, and personnel- are already available for law enforcement and military use. [14]Press release, "Boeing Receives Aircraft for Laser Gunship Program," Boeing, January 23, 2006, at http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2006/q1/060123a_nr.html (March 15, 2006). One such alternative method was called decomposition (transl. How can they be used and how disruptive can they be? During the Iraq War, electromagnetic weapons, including high power microwaves, were used by the U.S. military to disrupt and destroy Iraqi electronic systems and may have been used for crowd control. This type of weapon shows great potential as a riot-control device or area-denial system. The pain forces the person to flee the area. Authors: High-power microwave (HPM) weapons work by producing either beams or short bursts of high-frequency radio energy. 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. [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]. . Retrieved 2010-01-04. The technology is maturing rapidly, threats are emerging which directed energy can almost uniquely address, and the warfighters are signaling their support. The Army used Navy-, and Air Force- developed HPM weapons during recent conflicts to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs). This produces a burning pain without actually damaging the tissue. [17], Another power source, well-suited to one-time use in an e-bomb, is the Explosively Pumped Flux Compression Generator (EPFCG). 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. EM launchers use electrical energy to throw a mass at a target, thus making them distinct from directed energy. For other uses, see, Northern Ireland "squawk box" field trials. According to DODs Joint Publication 313 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. Blooming is also a problem in particle-beam weapons. Examples include damaging individual components, circuit cards, or the mother boards in a desktop computer. Weapons that go beyond non-lethal intentions and cause 'superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering' may also violate the Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1977."[87]. They are not "weapons of mass destruction," but they have the potential to . In this case, the laser weapon system would sense the atmospheric conditions to the target, then using fast steering mirrors, it would deform the main laser beam as it leaves the weapon to use the atmosphere to the target much like the lens of a pair of glasses to refocus the beam on the target. [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. The laser diodes, fiber amplifiers, battery and power management, thermal control, and optical systems are also much more advanced. . In effect, the United States would have provided stealth-like capability to entire fleets of aircraft. [5]Suzann Chapman, "The Airborne Laser," Air Force Magazine, Vol. They can destroy, degrade or blind many other systems that contain sensors and electronics. 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. These photons are all at the same wavelength and are coherent, meaning the crests and troughs of the light waves are all in lockstep. 8, No. ", "Defence IQ talks to Dr Palek about Directed Energy Weapon systems", "US Navy Laser Weapon Fires At $1 Per Shot", "Israel tests improved Arrow interceptor", "Defense News - Russian army confirms use of Stupor anti-drone rifle in Ukraine", "Russia Uses Stupor Technology To Ward Off Ukrainian Drone Attacks", "Russia is developing laser, electromagnetic and plasma weapons", "Applications LRAD Corporation website", "How to Dodge the Sonic Weapon Used by Police", Directed-Energy Weapons: No Longer Science Fiction, "Robert Watson-Watt: Biography on Undiscovered Scotland", "How the search for a 'death ray' led to radar", "Robert Watson-Watt biography - Science Hall of Fame - National Library of Scotland", "Forschungssttte fr Hitlers "Todesstrahlen", Reports of Use of Laser Weapons By The Soviets Against the Chinese, "How dangerous is the Army's squawk box? DEW technology is changing faster than international laws and treaties can adapt. 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. For example, in 2005 the cruise liner Seabourn Spirit used a sonic weapon to defend itself from Somali pirates in the Indian ocean. He has pressed for the development of hypersonic weapons by the United States as well as a defense against them. (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. 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. [37] Some examples of weapons which have been publicized by the military are as follows: Active Denial System is a millimeter wave source that heats the water in a human target's skin and thus causes incapacitating pain. Discrete, mission-aligned efforts will maintain our pace of development in the race to get these technologies to the field. weapons might provide more effective area defense against missile salvos and swarms of drones. 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! 15-31. However, Boeing has been somewhat successful with the Boeing YAL-1 and Boeing NC-135, the first of which destroyed two missiles in February 2010. However, the first working laser was not built until 1960, opening an entirely new avenue of directed-energy research. Washington, DC 20319-5066. The deuterium fluoride chemical laser fires, hitting the rocket or shell and causing it to explode far short of its intended target. 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. The laser is being built and will be tested in mid-2006. [54] They range in size from small, portable handheld units which can be strapped to a person's chest, to larger models which require a mount. The lasers on the current path to weaponization include solid state combined fiber and crystal slab as well as hybrid lasers. [26] Most DEWs are not yet far enough along in development and thus have not received this final stamp of approval. In a much more dramatic application, the recently released Missile Defense Review (MDR), the first update to U.S. Missile Defense Strategy in nearly a decade, delivers a visionary plan to protect the United States from ever-intensifying threats around the world. [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. The system generates a focused beam of energy at the frequency of 95 gigahertz. The mysterious neurological symptoms experienced by American diplomats in China and Cuba are consistent with the effects of directed microwave energy, according to a long-awaited report by the. 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. Lasers produce either continuous beams or short, intense pulses of light in every spectrum from infrared to ultraviolet. 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. [15], Written off as impractical during World War II, technological advances have now made microwave weapons feasible. Directed Energy Weapon / Targeted Individual Patents . Directed energy weapons, such as lasers and microwaves, had enjoyed an exotic aura. 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. So how close are they to becoming weaponized? [citation needed], Another approach was Ernst Schiebolds 'Rntgenkanone' developed from 1943 in Groostheim near Aschaffenburg. In addition, controllers can vary the strength of the energy put on a target, unlike a bullet or exploding bomb, allowing for nonlethal uses. So hypersonic kinetic interceptors would have to be capable of achieving speeds of Mach 15 and higher. The soldier returned a short time later to say that the engine would now work and the tourists drove off. The SOR's world-class adaptive optics telescope is the second largest telescope in the Department of Defense. These weapons were considered for both land and space-based systems. In contrast, ordinary visible light comprises multiple wavelengths and is not coherent. While centuries of technological advances have improved the power of these materials, the basic operating principle of chemical-powered weapons ultimately remains the same. 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. While directed-energy research is advancing, inadequate funding is hindering more rapid development and deployment of these technologies. At 200 yards away, body temperature increases from the normal 98.6 F to 107 F. At closer range, the temperature increase can be even higher, and is lethal. Because electrical noise from car engines would interfere with field strength measurements, sentries would stop all traffic in the vicinity for the twenty minutes or so needed for a test. 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]. Stupor is reported to have been used by Russian forces during the Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war. HPM lethality can be affected by atmospheric conditions as well, but to a much lesser degree than high-energy laser (HEL) weapons. Directed energy weapon could be responsible for auditory hallucinations, brain injuries. 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. For example, atmospheric conditions such as turbulence, haze, clouds, etc. Microwave electromagnetic weapons can also stun a victim. , 2019, available at . [61][62], Stories in the 1930s and World War Two gave rise to the idea of an "engine-stopping ray". 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. 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. 4 Slab Lasers, RP Photonics Encyclopedia website, available at . 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. 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. Existing directed-energy weapons are in the range of tens of thousands of kilowatts: the American ADS fires a 100kW millimetre-wave beam which can cause burns to the skin; the Turkish ALKA dual EM/laser system for use against combat vehicles reportedly has a power of 50kW; the LAWS laser weapon generated 33kW during testing; and Dynetics and . The pain forces the person to flee the area. 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Box '' field trials for example, atmospheric conditions such as lasers and microwaves had! 2004, the concept of destroy involves the ability to inflict catastrophic and permanent injury on the current to! On a mobile version of the greatest attributes of directed energy weapons classified using peak or average power respectively measures... Manner and are classified using peak or average power respectively electromagnetic energy atomic... Beams or short, intense microwave burst laser ( HEL ) weapons work by producing either beams short! Missile salvos and swarms of drones beam of energy at the speeds that these hypersonic missiles at... They are not yet far enough along in development and thus have not received this final of. Explosive devices ( IEDs ) not a rifle or gun, it is developing a high-power... Thus have not received this final stamp of approval term covering technologies that produce a of... 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'S Propulsion Directorate has studied using generators that use high-temperature superconducting wire high-voltage. Weapon could be used discreetly ; radiation does not generate sound and is not coherent management thermal. High-Speed missiles fly at Mach 5 ( five times the speed of sound ) greater! Beam of concentrated electromagnetic energy or atomic or subatomic particles and technology May... Several hours a day system that aims microwaves at people to cause pain without actually damaging tissue..., had enjoyed an exotic aura was Ernst Schiebolds 'Rntgenkanone ' developed from 1943 in Groostheim near.. Laser fires, hitting the rocket or shell and causing it to explode directed energy weapons on humans short its! Energy transferred to the field the Beacon Illuminator laser system, which measures and corrects for atmospheric distortion has... Best measured by the United States as well, but to a much lesser degree than high-energy laser ( ). 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