An energy weapon system built by Raytheon has clocked up an impressive score by taking out 45 drones during a recent US Army exercise. Part of this year’s Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX) at the Army’s Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the test involved a directed energy weapon that combines Raytheon’s high-power microwave beam and High Energy Laser (HEL) systems.

Drones, UAVs, and even something as low-tech as mortars are a major battlefield hazard. With new technology producing increasingly sophisticated and expensive platforms, the danger is also emerging that these expensive assets could be overwhelmed by new advanced, but cheap, autonomous flying machines that swarm into battle and swamp defenses.

A promising way to combat this is by using directed energy weapons. These fire beams that travel at the speed of light, can flick from target to target in a fraction of a second, can be adapted to suit the target, and cost about a dollar a shot as opposed to thousands or even millions of dollars for more conventional rounds.

The directed energy system emits an adjustable energy beam that, when aimed at airborne targets such...

The directed energy system emits an adjustable energy beam that, when aimed at airborne targets such as drones, renders them unable to fly (Credit: Raytheon)

At MFIX, Raytheon’s approach was to combine a directed microwave beam operating from a fixed location with the HEL system installed on an Army dune buggy. The microwave weapon was designed to disrupt or destroy the target’s electronics while the laser directly destroyed the targets it engaged. The goal was to produce a system that can engage incoming hostile targets at medium range.

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