Air Force Eyes Energy Shields, Microwave Bombs
Susan Thornton, head of the Air Force Research Lab's Directed Energy Directorate, laid out the sci-fi-style vision at the 33rd Annual Air Armament Symposium, held earlier this month. In it, she touts a high-powered microwave munition,
capable of destroying of everything from "WMD Production Facilities" to
"Cyber War Targets." The blasts from such a weapon "enables attack[s]
on high value electronic targets with minimal collateral damage,"
Thornton notes, "virtually eliminating high post-conflict
reconstruction costs!!!!"
Energy
can also be used a defense, she notes. Using a combination of lethal
and non-lethal weaponry, Thornton foresees a layered protection
system... to detect, identify, and engage threats with beams of
energy. An accompanying illustration shows an energy bubble --
straight out of Star Wars -- shielding a city. Incoming missiles
bounce away, presumably harmlessly. (Sharonand David Hambling have both written about the idea of plasma shields here, recently.)
In her presentation, Thornton also touts a "Tactical Airborne High Energy Laser" -- a C-130 Hercules turboprop
plane, outfitted with a blaster weapon. But unlike the shield project,
say, the Air Force has already sunk millions of dollars into
researching and developing such a system, also known as the "Advanced Tactical Laser." A flight demonstration is currently scheduled for 2015, according to Inside the Air Force.
Once the period for the advanced concept technology development is completed, the plane will be transferred to Air Combat Command for an extended user evaluation, which will last until the end of fiscal year 2010, Lawrence Grimes, production line lead for Precision Engagement for the lab’s Directed Energy Directorate, said in an Oct. 10 interview.
Currently, the laser system is equipped with a rudimentary targeting system. The pilot can identify his target, put it in his cross hairs and then press a firing button to engage the laser, Grimes said. In the future, the lab intends to develop a fully autonomous targeting system, he added.
Using the current technology, the developers are hoping to “let the pilots fly [the aircraft] around and see how they feel with being able to do a Buck Rogers-type thing and shoot a laser from a distance they’re not used to,” Grimes said. “The mere fact that we have a beam control system on there allows them to actually see out farther than they normally do, because most sensors on aircraft have very small apertures. The one on this system is considerably bigger and actually affords them an opportunity to see at higher resolutions at longer distances.”
Currently, the plane uses a chemical-powered laser -- which is problematic, for all kinds of reasons. But the Air Force is hoping to have an electric-powered laser by 2010 or so. Assuming that works, flight tests could begin about five years later.
The primary objective of the directed energy initiative is to create a laser for an offensive mission, Grimes said. Though the specific mission would depend on the platform on which they are integrated, they would mainly be engaging tactical, air-to-ground targets. Early on, they may be as simple as starting fires on the ground and other “disruptive” tasks, Grimes said.
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