The US Navy and Air Drive will quickly full a five-year analysis effort right into a high-tech directed power system
The US navy will run a “capstone take a look at” for a brand new high-power microwave weapon, in keeping with Pentagon builders, who additionally famous progress on a separate microwave system supposed to deliver down enemy “drone swarms.”
Last trials for the Excessive-Powered Joint Electromagnetic Non-Kinetic Strike Weapon (HiJENKS) might be performed collectively by the Air Drive Analysis Laboratory (AFRL) and the Workplace of Naval Analysis at a navy base close to California’s China Lake, a part of intensive assessments this summer season which marked the top of a five-year improvement challenge.
Jeffry Heggemeier, who leads the AFRL’s high-power electromagnetics division, mentioned the weapon nonetheless hasn’t discovered a platform, however famous that its smaller dimension would enable for a wide range of makes use of in fight.
“We’ll begin taking a look at extra service-specific purposes as soon as we’ve completed this take a look at that demonstrates the expertise,” he advised reporters throughout a briefing late final month.
The HiJENKS is designed to make use of high-powered microwaves to disable enemy electronics, constructing upon earlier work carried out greater than a decade in the past underneath the Counter-electronics Excessive Energy Microwave Superior Missile Mission, often known as CHAMP.
The Air Drive can also be making headway on one other directed power microwave system, the Tactical Excessive Energy Operational Responder (THOR), which goals to “disable drone swarms” that may threaten troops or navy bases, in keeping with THOR program supervisor Adrian Lucero.
“There are different effectors on the market which might be supposed to go in opposition to drone methods like weapons, nets and laser methods,” Lucero mentioned throughout the identical June presser. “However what THOR brings to the desk is it has a bigger vary to have an effect on and it has a decreased engagement time.”
A prototype for THOR was just lately despatched overseas for testing, throughout which improvement groups tried to increase the system’s vary and enhance its energy, Lucero went on, including that the weapon was 94% dependable in the course of the trials and proved it could possibly be helpful “in the true world.”
