Naval Directed-Energy Weapons - No Longer a Future Weapon Concept

Abstract

Directed-energy weapon (DEW) technologies typically take the form of high- energy lasers (HELs), high-power microwaves (HPMs), and charged-particle beams. This article focuses on the first two technology areas, as they have reached the point of being ready for operational testing and evaluation, and in some cases, operational use on the battlefield. DEWs have been popularized in science-fiction writings for over a hundred years. The Department of Defense (DoD) has been investing in their development since the 1970s. This article will not go into technical depth regarding the various directed-energy (DE)-related efforts currently underway in the Navy, but rather, it will overview DE areas under development and relate recent Navy leadership activity. Other articles in this issue of The Leading Edge magazine will provide the reader with much greater technical and programmatic details on various DE efforts.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA559007

Entities

People

  • David C. Stoudt

Organizations

  • Naval Surface Warfare Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Denial System
  • Aircrafts
  • Charged Particles
  • Department Of Defense
  • Directed Energy Weapons
  • Engineering
  • Free Electron Lasers
  • Free Electrons
  • High Energy
  • High Energy Lasers
  • High Power Microwaves
  • Laser Weapons
  • Lasers
  • Tactical High-Energy Lasers
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Weapon Systems
  • Weapons

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Maritime and Naval Warfare Studies
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy