directed energy weapon

Officials from the new U.S. Air Force Cyber Command say the battleground of the future will be dominance in the electromagnetic spectrum. The Air Force Cyber Command's 450th Electronic Warfare Wing, set to become operational by Oct. 1, says war is real in the electromagnetic spectrum with terrorists utilizing cell phones to set off explosives or using radar and radio waves to disrupt U.S. combat missions, the Air Force reported.

While the task force heard descriptions of dozens of technically feasible and operationally relevant directed energy programs and activities, the report focuses on a smaller number of the most promising applications. Applications with potential to provide superior capabilities include long-range strategic missions such as space control and force protection, and tactical missions such as ground-based defense against rockets, artillery, and mortars and defense against man portable air defense systems. For some applications directed energy has the potential to compete favorably with kinetic solutions; for others, no adequate kinetics approach currently exists.

Airborne Laser (ABL), a U.S. Air Force program aimed at destroying enemy ballistic missiles as they rise off their launch pads, could be deployed against conventional aircraft and even ground targets, according to prime contractor Boeing. During a Sep. 4 teleconference, Greg Hyslop, Boeing Airborne Laser vice president and program manager, said the Air Force is developing operational concepts for the beam weapon that could include “other missions and targets.”