DirectedEnergyWeapons

Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) are a specialized sub-set of DirectedEnergy technology. Other information can be obtained from the Wikipedia DEW link. Directed Energy Weapons include three classes:
HEL and HPM concepts are most advanced. Other technologies, sometimes discussed, are further away from being successfully weaponized in the near future. If you want to test a DE Weapon, consider visiting the TestMethodologyReference.

The Joint Technical Coordinating Group for Munitions Effectiveness (JTCG/ME) has published DEW appendices for the Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manuals.

91 Years of Directed Energy Weapons Progress

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Directed Energy proposed by Nicoli Tesla, August 1917Directed Energy proposed in DoD POM-2008 funding document

Government Activity

  • Defense Science Board Terms of Reference, as directed by the Undersecretary for Defense, to stand up a Directed Energy Task Force (102KB pdf file), responsible for reporting on the National state of affairs. Oct 2006.
  • Defense Science Board Terms of Reference, as directed by the Undersecretary for Defense, to stand up a Nuclear Survivability Task Force (139KB pdf file), responsible for reporting on issues of Nuclear Survivability. They're not talking about nuclear winter exchanges with Russia, but rather 4th generation nuclear explosions that yield primarily EMP effects. Nov 2006.

Additional Reading

I've collected some downloadable DEW news reports in the Wikilint file gallery, and provide the links to others, here, in reverse chronological order.

Space Solar Power Beaming - Nicola Tesla was talking about beaming energy in the early 1900s.  120 years later, Northrup Grumman is talking about beaming energy to Earth from outerspace.
Homeland Security Department To Evaluate Skyguard High-Energy? Laser From NGC - Northrup Grumman study to defend air bases with lasers. Oct 2006.
Boeing Begins Flight Tests And Laser Firings For Laser Gunship Program - First ground-test light of the chemical-recycling COIL laser used on the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) C-130 gunship. Oct 2006.
Laser weapons: The Future is Now - Military needs and laser- system capabilities have found a significant common ground. If this opportunity is missed, it may be a long time before tactical laser weapons become an integral part of the U.S. defense inventory. Sep 2006.
Antisatellite Laser Weapons Deleted From Defense Bill - The House Armed Services Committee deleted funding for an ongoing Air Force effort to develop antisatellite laser weapons from the fiscal 2007 defense authorization bill. With publicly identified funding of $6.5 million a year, it was the only program in the unclassified Air Force budget proposal identified as aimed at antisatellite-weapon applications. Sep 2006.
Northrop Grumman Develops Skyguard Laser System - Northrop Grumman has developed the Skyguard laser-based air defense system for U.S. government agencies and allies that require near-term defense against short-range ballistic missiles, short- and long-range rockets, artillery shells, mortars, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles. Sep 2006.
Airborne Laser Achieves Lethal Antimissile Power Levels - The Airborne Laser (ABL) team, led by Boeing (Chicago, IL), announced in December the successful completion of a series of tests involving its high-energy laser at the Systems Integration Lab at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Sep 2006.
M51 Missile Nears First Test Launch - French M51 submarine missile will use high altitude nuclear EMP, killing electronics. Sep 2006. (Ok, not so directed energy, but many of the kill effects are the same as HPM.) Sep 2006.
Beijing Fires Lasers to Blind US Satellites - Probably true; I'm sure everybody is trying it. It's interesting that the graphic shows the U.S. THEL system as a surrogate Chinese attacker. Sep 2006.
Directed Energy Weapons Face Hurdles - National Defence Magazine's report on the NDIA Dec 2005 conference on HPMs. Mar 2006.
Officials Map Out Test Milestones for Airborne Laser - Provides multiple good pictures of the ABL hardware, and introduces the concept of "knowledge points" instead of formal acquisition program milestones. Mar 2006.
Directed Energy - Different Challenges (Science, Operations, Testing) - 8th Annual DEPS Symposium poster, Lihue, Hawaii, Nov 2005. (directed-energy-challenges.pdf, 570 Kb)
Directed Energy Weapons: Do We Have a Game Plan? Thesis paper from US Army's Command and Staff College. 2004. (0406lincoln.pdf, 752.92 Kb, 63 pages)
Homemade Microwave Weapons - Brief, but accurate perspective on why HPMs are a guerrilla weapon of choice. Global Guerillas Blog. May 2004.

''Ed Note: Find primary references and add:
Car Stopper Vehicle for the Los Angeles Sherrif, as reported on TV.
The Active Denial System, testing by the military.''

Created by admin. Last Modification:  26 December, 2022 by brian.