Futuristic energy weapon concepts may become commonplace in the coming years. Yesterday, February 24, portal c4isrnet.com He reported that the US Army has announced plans to test the" combat microwave " THOR and soon adopt it into service.
"The directed energy army's capabilities will need to provide multi-level defense with multiple ways to repel threats. High-energy lasers kill one target at a time, and powerful microwaves can kill groups or swarms, so we strive to combine both technologies," said Lieutenant General Neil Thurgood, head of the US Army's Office of Operational Capabilities and Critical Technologies.
"Combat microwave" THOR
Image source: c4isrnet.com
Last year, the US Air Force announced that the HELWS, PHASER and THOR systems would test protect US air bases from possible drone attacks. The new energy weapons are called a response to the new threat of armed drones and swarms of drones attacking airfields. Now it became known that THOR was also interested in the US Army.
Field testing of the Tactical High Power Operational Responder (THOR) is scheduled for 2024. At the same time, from 2026, the "combat microwave" can become a regular weapon of the ground forces.
In addition, a program to create a combat laser for fighters is being promoted. According to the portal thedrive.com, The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) published a picture of the finished container for the ShiELD laser installation, saying that the first prototype of the installation will be ready before the end of the year.
ShiELD Laser System Housing for Fighter Aircraft
Image source: thedrive.com
At the same time, Popular Mechanics magazine reported that the US Department of Defense has launched a project called Ultrashort Pulse Lasers (USPL). The application, posted on the Pentagon's website, states that the USPL will create a laser weapon capable of generating a pulse with a power of 1 terawatt (1 trillion watts) with a duration of 200 femtoseconds, and later — 5 terawatts, a duration of 30 femtoseconds. According to the authors of the project, such weapons, unlike traditional lasers that burn through targets with a long impact, will affect a short, but extremely powerful pulse. The USPL description states that the target will be hit by " ejection of material from the target, blinding of sensors by generating a broadband supercontinuum in the air, and generating local electronic interference used to overload internal electronics."
