The American press has become aware of some details about the work of the US military on air-based microwave weapons. Now the Pentagon is working on the possibility of placing energy weapons on fighter jets, and earlier test launches of missiles with microwave warheads from B-52 strategic bombers took place.
The fact that the Pentagon is actively studying the possibility of promising types of weapons, it became known to The Times. The US military has long been actively working on directed energy weapons that can be placed on aircraft. There are many projects of aviation lasers-both designed for missile defense and capable of hitting ground equipment. Apparently, now it's the turn of the microwave "guns".
The information was given to journalists by an unnamed representative of the Office of Advanced Research Projects of the US Department of Defense (DARPA). However, the interlocutor of the publication refused to tell any details. His words were indirectly confirmed by Douglas Barrie, an expert on the aerospace industryat the International Institute for Strategic Studiesin London. He said that, according to his data, such studies are actively conducted in several countries: the United States, Great Britain, China and Russia.
Microwave " gun " Active Denial System (ADS), used by the US military, including in Afghanistan. Developed by Raytheon, it is capable of inducing "immediate and highly motivated rescue behavior" in anyone up to 700 meters away
Image source: U.S. Marine Corps, Lance Cpl. Andrew M. Huff
the secret plans of the pentagon contain information about past tests of missiles with microwave warheads. what is the principle of their operation, power and scope of applications is unknown. It is only indicated that the cruise missiles launched from the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress with such warheads hit electronic targets at a distance of 1,100 kilometers.
Now the military is considering options to place such weapons on fighter jets. However, in this case we are talking not so much about missiles as about "guns". The work is conducted by DARPA — the main research unit of the American military machine. The primary targets of such installations will be radars and sensors on enemy equipment.
Experimental American microwave "dronoboyka" THOR (Tactical High Power Microwave Operational Responder) developed by the Research Laboratory of the US Air Force (Air Force Research Laboratory)
Image Source: AFRL Directed Energy Directorate
Millimeter electromagnetic waves (microwaves) have attracted the attention of the military for a long time. Among the possible applications — as a non-lethal defeat of the enemy's manpower, and the disabling of electronics on military equipment. Among other things, directed microwave radiation has proven to be effective against unmanned aerial vehicles of various classes. In many cases, such air defense installations are cheaper and more convenient than the classic ones, where the defeat of an enemy aircraft or UAV is made by a missile or projectile.
