DIRECTED ENERGY SYSTEMS

2016 IN REVIEW

The age of directed energy (DE) is finally – and rapidly – moving forward. No longer are those involved in this field focused on issues of policy and possibility, but instead are fixed on the advancement of the technology into utility – exploring issues of integration, scale and operational application. Here, Defence IQ provides an easy-to-digest summary of some of the most interesting developments we’ve seen taking place over the last year of DE development worldwide, from military field tests to private sector prototypes. The annual Directed Energy Systems conference is now in its eleventh year, and will be held in London between 21st and 23rd February 2017. The focus of the event is on the development and deployment of these cutting-edge systems including laser, sonic, microwave and other energy systems. At a time of unprecedented technological change and progress, DES 2017 provides our guests with an opportunity to exchange ideas, garner solutions and strengthen capability. For information on how to register, download the agenda today.

INTRODUCTION

Russian DE systems emerging

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Russian media reported in October that the Russian military had successfully tested a new ‘radio-electronic’ device ‘based on new physical principles’. RIA Novosti stated that confirmation had come from the system's developing company – the Joint Instrument-Making Corporation – saying, "Real samples of such weapons have already been created, and they have proved their efficiency…This is a completely new type of weapon, which has no analogues in the country and, dare we say, in the world." The unnamed weapon is said to employ directed energy to render equipment unusable, [enacting] an indirect physical influence on the on-board equipment of aircraft and UAVs, neutralizing precision weapons.” The first examples of such weapons in the Russian arsenal were exhibited in September 2016 at a closed demonstration session for the Defense Ministry.

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India incorporates DE into 15-year tech roadmap

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British lasers to demonstrate utility

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India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) announced in March that it is close to developing a 10-kilowatt directed energy weapon capable of taking down errant drones. The device has already been successfully tested at the Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) up to a range of over 2,600 feet. A demonstration for the military was also performed at the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory in September 2015. According to the Times of India, the DRDO is prioritizing DEW development, outlining a 15-year "technology perspective and capability roadmap." The agency claims it has already built a number of smaller weapons systems based on similar principles. These include devices designed to disarm mines and IEDs, vehicle-mounted crowd control units, and hand-held devices capable of overpowering armed individuals.

The UK’s plans to build and test a tactical laser weapon prototype took a step forward with the announcement – following an invitation to tender (ITT) to industry in November 2015 – that MBDA UK had secured a £30 million (US $40 million) deal to build a laser-directed energy weapon demonstrator. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been finalising the deal with the UK arm of Europe’s major missile maker to build a one-off prototype laser weapon to launch a new innovation initiative. MBDA was set to lead a consortium that includes Qinetiq, Leonardo, GKN, BAE Systems, Marshall Aerospace and Defence, and Arke. The prototype is scheduled to be delivered for trials by 2019 as Britain attempts to catch up in a field traditionally dominated by landmark developments in the United States and Germany. The new laser demonstrator is part of a wider programme being studied by the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), which includes the potential of radio frequency-directed energy weapons.

China unveils LAG II laser

Germany testing naval gun mounted laser

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A powerful militarized laser developed by a joint venture between the Chinese Academy of Physics Engineering and Jiuyuan Hi Tech Equipment Corporation was unveiled during September’s Africa Aerospace and Defence 2016 tradeshow in South Africa. The Low Altitude Guard (LAG) II is a laser weapons system capable of firing a high-power 30 kilowatt laser beam to knock small airborne targets such as UAVs and drones out of the sky at a range of up to 2.5 miles. This second iteration of the LAG improves drastically upon the first, with twice the range and power of the LAG I, which makes the LAG II comparable to the Laser Weapons System installed on the mighty floating base, the USS Ponce. Poly Technologies reports that the system is compact enough to be mounted on medium-sized trucks or 6x6 armoured personnel carriers. Using an electro-optical guidance system, the weapon is capable of using directed energy as a defence against small incoming aircraft. It is believed the LAG II is currently being reviewed by the People's Liberation Army for anti-drone missions.

At the beginning of this year Rheinmetall and the German Bundeswehr successfully tested a high-energy laser effector installed on a German warship operating on the high seas. The system they tested is the Oerlikon high-energy laser gun using a revolver gun turret equipped with laser weapon modules. Each module consists of one 10 kW fibre laser and a beam-forming unit. For the test Rheinmetall mounted the 10 kilowatt high-energy laser (HEL) effector on a MLG 27 light naval gun mounted on the ship. The tests included tracking of potential targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and very small surface craft. While these engagements were passive and laser was not fired at sea, the HEL effector was tested separately, against stationary targets on land. Demonstrating the feasibility of integration of Rheinmetall’s HEL effector on MLG27 in maritime operations, the test programme provided significant insights for future development of marine HEL systems.

Adsys Controls of Irvine, California, has created ‘Helios’, a new anti-laser technology which can be carried on drones. The firm focuses on the idea that to do much damage, an offensive laser needs to remain focused on its target for several seconds. Helios stops a laser from doing this by disrupting the systems controlling the beam – the Achilles’ heel for all such weapons. “Beam control is a critical function of high-energy lasers,” says Adsys CEO Brian Goldberg. Helios can detect an incoming laser beam and identify its key characteristics, such as power, wavelength, pulse frequency and its source, and then interfere with the beam control – possibly by firing back a low-power laser of its own – so the attacking laser cannot fix on the target. Adsys Controls of Irvine did not disclose the details on how interference is done, but David Hambling, a journalist focused on science and defence technology, speculates that the technology might involve fooling the control system into thinking it is hitting its target despite the laser actually pointing a few metres to the side. A direct hit would have produced a big burst of reflected light, so a pulse sent back by an anti-laser laser could make it look like the original laser was on target. However, Roland Smith, a plasma physicist at Imperial College London suggested that Helios could be susceptible to the same trick, saying, “If it puts out enough power to disrupt targeting, that makes it visible and a target itself…If the laser weapon knows it is being jammed, it could engage the jammer.”

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USS Ponce to test more powerful laser system

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Counter-laser systems in the works

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While the current 30 kilowatt laser weapon on board the USS Ponce has proved to be effective and low cost, a June 2016 summit on directed energy weapons in Washington, D.C., saw Admiral Bill Moran, vice chief of naval operations, announce the Navy’s impending plan to install and test a 150 kilowatt system. The lasers previously demonstrated on the Ponce, part of the Laser Weapon System (LaWS) programme, are powerful enough to burn through slow-flying targets. A press release stated that not only is the [current] laser lethal, but it is also relatively cost-effective: "At less than a dollar per shot, there's no question about the value LaWS provides. With affordability a serious concern for our defense budgets, this will more effectively manage resources to ensure our Sailors and Marines are never in a fair fight." The 150 kW version will be approximately five times as powerful as the existing system and will shipboard testing will be overseen by the Office of Naval Research in the ‘near future’.

“The question is moving from, ‘Do we have the devices?’ to ‘How quickly can we integrate them on the platform?’” stated Daniel Miller, Senior Fellow at Air Vehicle Science and Systems at Lockheed Martin. In essence, the new challenge for direct energy technology is one of integration at the service level. Miller stated that while it would be possible to deliver a laser weapon in the 30 KW range, as soon as the scale increases, it raises the question of how to deal with atmospheric interference – an issue which becomes more complicated with weapons mounted on airborne systems. Lockheed’s Athena (Advanced Test High Energy Asset) 30 KW weapon, can potentially bore a hole through a two inch piece of steel in seconds, enough to disable an incoming rocket or disable the engine of a pickup truck. In terms of integration with existing platforms Lockheed Martin has identified a path to mature and further miniaturise their laser weapon system for tactical U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps vehicles.

LM believes scale and integration are now the big DE issues

Counter-UAV effort sees air defence system adaptations

Raytheon was reported to be touting the use of its Phalanx air defence system alongside a laser to counter unmanned air vehicles that pose a threat to navy vessels. The company has been providing its system under a Babcock-led effort under the UK government’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory’s laser directed energy weapon capability demonstrator (LDEW-CD) programme, which is exploring using a laser alongside a 20mm Gatling gun to counter airborne threats including UAVs. Raytheon is now looking at adapting this technology to provide a counter-UAV system: a concept that is gaining popularity resulting from the proliferation of unmanned systems and the threat that they pose to people and infrastructure. Babcock’s LDEW-CD offering includes the Phalanx surface weapon system, a Qinetiq laser, Leonardo optronics and a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and radar system. At the time, a downselect was said to be “imminent”, with other offerings expected to come from MBDA, Thales, Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall, who will provide the Royal Navy with information on the potential of using lasers within weapon systems.

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21 - 22 February, 2017 - London, UK

DIRECTED ENERGY SYSTEMS 2017

Directed Energy Systems 2017 will allow you to:

• Set the value proposition for Directed Energy Systems in order to secure funding and end-user uptake: define what these systems can do that traditional “powder” guns and high-velocity projectiles cannot, and how this case can be made to decision-makers

• Discover the emerging CONOPS behind the use of DES systems –

what role do the armed services see for directed energy, in what domain, and what is the time frame for adoption?

• Learn how to better mitigate safety concerns surrounding the use of

directed energy systems, and how to communicate recent advances in this field both to decision makers and the general public

• Explore new concepts for the use of DES systems – from microwave

cruise missiles, laser dazzlers and CIWS to microwave UAS hunters and non-lethal crowd control systems

• Find out more about the development of DES among potential

adversaries and how their own progress and priorities compare and contrast with your own

W W W . D I R E C T E D E N E R GYS YS T E M S . C O M

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