The future: Directed energy weapons (the hoverboard will come soon, honest)

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In November Rheinmetall shot down a low-altitude unmanned UAV with a 10kW laser, marking the first time the company had done so with its directed energy weapon integrated with a full air defence system.

At a live fire laser demo at the Group’s Ochsenboden proving ground, international guests were able to view two laser weapon demonstrators in action, each featuring different performance parameters. Both laser weapon demonstrators were deployed in different scenarios: as a means of providing protection from asymmetric, terrorist-type threats; in a C-RAM context to counter the threat from incoming rockets, artillery and mortar rounds; and in an air defence scenario with an unmanned air vehicle serving as the target.

Piquing the curiosity of armoured vehicle integrators in particular, Rheinmetall also demonstrated the use of a 1-kW laser weapon that "proved highly effective in destroying IEDs as well as neutralizing unexploded ordnance from a safe distance.”

The future is upon us it would appear. At the very least the tests mark another step towards the effective use of directed energy systems in military operations.

The idea of using lasers for military purposes has been around for a number of years now. In 2002 Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and current Republican Presidential candidate (although how long-lived this will be after limping to a fourth place finish in Iowa yesterday is unsure), advocated the use of directed energy weapons.

“In the next five or eight years you have directed energy weapons and laser pulsing systems that could actually do that (successfully implement boost phase rocket launches to the East) from space,” Gingrich told FRONTLINE at the time.

In 2004 Donald Rumsfeld commissioned the Airborne Laser (ABL) programme, which was a missile defence system designed to destroy tactical ballistic missiles while in boost phase. The project was eventually abandoned due to a cacophony of technical problems, investment issues and a changing threat landscape. The DoD may ultimately regret pulling the plug on the ABL project as science – and threats – advance.

Daniel Goure, Ph.D., wrote in the Lexington Institute’s Early Warning Blog last month about his frustrations of the DoD’s recent inability to convert scientific breakthrough into state-of-the-art military equipment. However, he balanced this with a clear indication that the findings drawn from the ABL programme, and the lessons learned from it, were valuable contributions to the U.S. military’s knowledge base. It was, to some extent, investing in future capability, in an area of research that other hostile nations have little understanding.

“There will be directed energy weapons deployed in the future,” Goure said. “The ABL program gave the Department of Defense potential long-term advantages in this area.”

The idea of using lasers and directed energy weapons is no longer science fiction. They may still be in the early stages of R&D, but electronic weapons are a viable alternative in the future.

Underlining the increased importance of electronic weapons over the next decade, in the classroom cadets are now being taught about how they work, and how to operate them. 

“I'm really impressed with the actual technology coming out and excited to apply it in the Fleet - especially the lasers, high frequency weapons and directed energy. It's absolutely amazing,” said Aaron Denson, USNA class of 2012 midshipman in an interview with Southern Maryland Online on a visit to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD).

Timeframes are unclear – technically the phrase ‘it’s not an exact science’ is hardly relevant here, but the sentiment fits. As for Rheinmetall, the company expects a high-energy laser weapon system with an output of 100 kW to be available within the next three to five years.

Contributor:   Andrew Elwell

Andrew graduated from The University of Nottingham with an MA in History in 2003. After graduating Andrew started his career with a niche armour systems manufacturer, which provided ballisitic and blast armour products for the international defence market. His first major undertaking was to project manage a UOR up-armour programme for an in-theatre MoD vehicle. After completion of the contract, Andrew headed up the research and development department at the company. This involved designing, developing, testing and presenting new armour solutions to defeat customer specific threats to all major European and International ballistic and blast standards.

Following this Andrew moved behind the desk and became Senior Editor at a news and data provider, offering proprietary analysis, intelligence, market research and data on the global security and defence industry. The role offered the chance to write widely on the industry, exploring new technologies and getting to grips with corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and debt and equity fundraisings.

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