Light Boosts Destructive Power of Microwave Weapons, Sensors

Aviation Week and Space Technology
By David A. Fulghum

Electronic warfare is becoming less a science of developing new technologies and more a process of sensor fusion, target networking and finding new ways to manipulate existing tools of the trade. A case in point--lasers and high-power microwave devices long have been eyed as competing directed-energy attack options. However, researchers are now combining the two to produce smaller, cheaper, more powerful, nonkinetic weapons
High-power microwave weapons may be on the verge of a high-speed turn toward the practical...

An advanced concept, pioneered by BAE Systems' researchers, uses light to multiply the speed and power at which HPM pulses--powerful enough to destroy enemy electronics--can be produced without the need for explosives or huge electrical generators.

Researchers predict leaps of 10-100 times in power output within two years. That advance could push the beam-weapon technology far beyond the 1-10-gigawatt limit of current tactical-size HPM devices.







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1 mal bearbeitet. Zuletzt am 22.01.2007 11:17 von Dr. Munzert.