directed energy weapons on humans

11 Megan Eckstein, Navy to Field High-Energy Laser Weapon, Laser Dazzler on Ships This Year as Development Continues, USNI News, May 30, 2019. 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. Loading. "laser.". Particle beams would have tremendous power as weapons. Examples of this capability include signal overrides or insertion, power cycling (turning power on and off at irregular intervals) and causing the system to lock-up. These effects are not permanent because the target system will return to normal operation within a specified time, which obviously varies according to the weapon. Current HPM research focuses on pulsed power devices, which create intense, ultrashort bursts of electrical energy and would be used to power the microwave generator of an HPM weapon. The full system will be fitted to the aircraft by 2007 and test-fired against ground targets. They are well-suited to defending against threats such as missiles and artillery shells, which DEWs can shoot down in mid-flight. The term deny is defined as the ability to eliminate the enemys ability to operate without inflicting harm on the system. For example, the MDR proposes that the Missile Defense Agency study the potential to develop and field space-based lasers to intercept ballistic missiles.15. Directed-energy weapons can be used discreetly; radiation does not generate sound and is invisible if outside the visible spectrum. [39] It was announced by Raytheon in 2005, and the effectiveness of its waveforms was reported to have been demonstrated in field tests to be highly effective in defeating MANPADS missiles.[40]. This produces a burning pain without actually damaging the tissue. [16]U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, "High-Power Microwaves," fact sheet, September 2002, at http://www.de.afrl.af.mil/Factsheets/HPM.swf (March 15, 2006). One of the greatest attributes of directed energy weapons is that they operate at the speed of light. Laser dazzlers-devices that use laser light to temporarily blind sensors, optics, and personnel- are already available for law enforcement and military use. This type of weapon shows great potential as a riot-control device or area-denial system. [2], During the Cold War, the U.S. and the Soviet Union studied the possibility of creating particle-beam weapons, which fire streams of electrons, protons, neutrons, or even neutral hydrogen atoms. However, these lasers were generally large and heavy. The United States cannot allow itself to fall behind in yet another area of warfighting as has happened in hypersonics. [48] Therefore, HELs and HPMs could also play a role in the midcourse/terminal phase of both types of hypersonic missile flight. 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. The virus that causes COVID-19 most likely leaked from a Chinese laboratory, according to a classified report based on new intelligence and recently sent to the White House and key members . In addition, when the East German state collapsed, powerful X-ray equipment was found in prisons without there being any apparent reason to justify its presence. Directed energy weapon could be responsible for auditory hallucinations, brain injuries. The Soviet Union invested some effort in the development of ruby and carbon dioxide lasers as anti-ballistic missile systems, and later as a tracking and anti-satellite system. For example, in 2005 the cruise liner Seabourn Spirit used a sonic weapon to defend itself from Somali pirates in the Indian ocean. [13]SPG Media, "ABL YAL 1A Airborne Laser, USA," at http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/abl (March 15, 2006). Potential applications of this technology include weapons that target personnel, missiles, vehicles, and optical devices. Fort Lesley J. McNair Lung tissue was affected at only the closest ranges as atmospheric air is highly compressible and only the blood rich alveoli resist compression. High-power microwave (HPM) weapons work by producing either beams or short bursts of high-frequency radio energy. In fact, the megawatt-class Airborne Laser developed in the late 1990s and early 2000s required an entire 747 aircraft to hold the equipment. Potential applications of this technology include weapons that target personnel, missiles, vehicles, and optical devices. The armed services need to move from just saying that DEWs are a good idea to fully supporting their development. 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. These weapons were considered for both land and space-based systems. They were seen as tools for destroying ICBMs and drones, or for dispersing rioters. Like lasers, particle beams travel at the speed of light, but unlike lasers, the particles in a particle beam have mass, giving the beam tremendous kinetic energy. General DOD policy is that directed-energy weapons can be used legitimately on the battlefield. The SOR's world-class adaptive optics telescope is the second largest telescope in the Department of Defense. There is no injury to the target individual. While DEWs are not a panacea, the armed services should fully support research and development of these useful technologies. This makes targeting and tracking easier as well. Directed energy system is further defined by the STOA document: "Directed energy weapon system designed to match radio frequency source to interfere with human brain activity at synapse level" (at the bottom of the page, first reference, Appendix 6-67). The Rheotron was captured by the Americans in Burggrub on April 14, 1945. [23]Press release, "Northrop Grumman Surpasses Power, Run-Time Requirements of Joint High Power Solid-State Laser Program for Military Use," Northrop Grumman Corporation, November 9, 2005, at http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.mhtml?d=89438 (March 15, 2006). The system generates a focused beam of energy at the frequency of 95 gigahertz. U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, "High-Power Microwaves," fact sheet, September 2002, at, Dr. Stephen Adams, "Electrical Power and Thermal Management for Airborne Directed Energy Weapons," U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, September 2001, at, Carlo Kopp, "The Electromagnetic Bomb-A Weapon of Electrical Mass Destruction," at, GlobalSecurity.org, "High Power Microwave (HPM)/E-Bomb," at, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, "Active Denial System," fact sheet, September 2005, at, Press release, "Northrop Grumman Surpasses Power, Run-Time Requirements of Joint High Power Solid-State Laser Program for Military Use," Northrop Grumman Corporation, November 9, 2005, at, China North Industries Corporation, "ZM-87 Portable Laser Disturber Fact Sheet," quoted in Human Rights Watch, "Blinding Laser Weapons: The Need to Ban a Cruel and Inhumane Weapon," September 1995, at, "Electromagnetic Weapons: Come Fry with Me,", David Ruppe, "Directed-Energy Weapons: Possible U.S. Use Against Iraq Could Threaten International Regimes," Global Security Newswire, Russias New START Breach Means U.S. Nuclear Weapons Modernization Is a Must, North Koreas Growing ICBM Threat: How America and South Korea Should Respond, China Surpasses U.S. in Nuclear Missile Launchers; U.S. Unprepared to Deter Growing Threat. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Directed-energy_weapon&oldid=1140806805. For example, the static and distortion that high voltage power lines have on a car radio causes no lasting damage to the radio after the car leaves the area. Rifle, bazooka and mortar rounds easily deformed the parabolic reflectors, rendering the wave amplification ineffective.[64]. 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. Directed-Energy Weapons Programs A number of countries are investing in directed-energy weapons programs. As with all new weapons, the DOD General Counsel reviews each DEW for compliance with international and U.S. laws before the Pentagon is allowed to field it. It stated that it did have, however, an 'ultra-loud public address system which [] could be "used for verbal communication over two miles, or put out a sustained or modulated sound blanket to make conversation, and thus crowd organisation, impossible. But by far, the most ambitious program underway in DOD is being led by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). 1, 2018, available at < https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/03/21/us-army-successfully-demos-laser-weapon-on-stryker-in-europe/>. Depending on the type of laser, this means that the weapon can have an almost "endless magazine" of laser bursts. 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. 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. HPM weapons lethality is typically described in terms of their ability to deny, degrade, damage or destroy a targets capabilities. 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. Directed energy weapons, such as lasers and microwaves, had enjoyed an exotic aura. Modern battlefield weapons are the descendents of muskets and cannon. By Henry Trey Obering, III European Parliament In an effort to avoid such condemnation the state security service, the Stasi, attempted alternative methods of repression which could paralyze people without keeping them in a physical prison. The system consists of a missile-detecting and tracking subsystem (MDT), a command and control system, and a scanning array. However, no military has yet openly deployed HPM weapons. 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. Though the strategic missile defense concept has continued to the present under the Missile Defense Agency, most of the directed-energy weapon concepts were shelved. They are not "weapons of mass destruction," but they have the potential to . In August 2004, the THEL system shot down multiple mortar rounds during testing. The Air Force Research Lab's Propulsion Directorate has studied using generators that use high-temperature superconducting wire and high-voltage capacitors. The THEL system uses radar to detect and track incoming targets. In most cases, the target system must be shut off and restarted, and may require minor repairs before it can operate normally again. Depending on several operational factors, directed-energy weapons may be cheaper to operate than conventional weapons in certain contexts. [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. Improvements in energy-generating systems may also make particle-beam weapons feasible. Challenges remain in terms of the size, weight and power input requirements of todays laser systems, especially in the thermal control and power management subsystems. Like lasers, HPM weapons can operate in a pulsed or continuous manner and are classified using peak or average power respectively. The power output necessary for a weapons-grade laser ranges from 10 kilowatts to 1 megawatt. One of the greatest attributes of directed energy weapons is that they operate at the speed of light. Furthermore, the power of lasers and microwave weapons has decreased, allowing for nonlethal uses. [38] The device comes in various sizes, including attached to a Humvee. For ex. [51], Additionally, the Russian Federation is developing various plasma weapons.[52]. The United States has come a very long way in the development of directed energy weapon capabilities and is now at a critical juncture. 9 Eileen Walling, High Power Microwaves, Strategic and Operational Implications for Warfare, Occasional Paper no. They could therefore avoid there being any evidence of repression or at least limit it. However, British scientists calculated that the electronic systems of the time could not generate the power necessary for a "death ray," and research was redirected into early radar detection systems. 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. [47], A weapon often described as an "anti-drone rifle" or "anti-drone gun" is a battery-powered electromagnetic pulse weapon held to an operator's shoulder, pointed at a flying target in a way similar to a rifle, and operated. Both the Allies and the Axis powers conducted basic research and studies into primitive directed-energy weapons before World War II. This destroys the device but produces electrical pulses in the terawatt range-the equivalent of 10 to 1,000 lightning strikes. This technology delivers very high-frequency millimeter-wavelength electromagnetic rays that heat skin on contact, causing a painful burning sensation. They seemed to have arisen from the testing of the television transmitter in Feldberg, Germany. 1 (January 1996), at http://www.afa.org/magazine/jan1996/0196airbo.asp (March 15, 2006). But again, advances in computational power coming out of the gaming industry (such as graphics processing units) and artificial intelligence coming from autonomous automobile development can be instrumental in providing these needed capabilities. These weapons were considered for both land and space-based systems. They have strong physical and psychological effects and can be used for military and terrorist activities. [6], Because they were invented several decades ago, lasers are the most mature of the DEW technologies. Vection and motion sickness can also occur. Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. [16] When the microwave energy encounters unshielded wires or electronic components, it induces a current in them, which causes the equipment to malfunction. Led by the Missile Defense Agency ( MDA ) enforcement and military use example, in the! The Americans in Burggrub on April 14, 1945 technology include weapons that personnel! 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