Directed-energy weapons need full Pentagon commitment, industry says
By Colin Demarest
Jan 23, 06:23 AM
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Defense must clearly commit to directed-energy weapons, or DEW, and shore up domestic sources of requisite materials to make them if it wants to deploy the futuristic arms en masse, industry advocates say.
The Pentagon has in the past “wavered in its commitment to fielding” high-energy laser and high-power microwave systems at significant scale, ultimately hurting its suppliers and their logistical choices, the Emerging Technologies Institute and the National Defense Industrial Association said in a study published Jan. 23.
That status quo spells trouble for a type of armament that defense officials have described as a game-changer. Laser and microwave systems, known as HEL and HPM, are thought to have a critical role to play in countering overhead threats such as drones and missiles.
“The U.S. does not have the luxury of time with its DEW development,” they said in the report, which was derived from research and interviews with Lockheed Martin, L3Harris Technologies and Epirus, among other sources. “Adversaries have made progress with their own directed-energy programs, and this progress shows no signs of abating.”
https://www.defensenews.com/battlefield-tech/directed-energy/2024/01/23/directed-energy-weapons-need-full-pentagon-commitment-industry-says/
