Rapid Pulse Laser Weapons Could Be The Pentagon’s Future Edge
Ultrashort pulse lasers, which fire a trillion watts for one-quadrillionth of a second, are a technology too early for military use today. But that won't always be the case, says Joe Sheperd of Booz Allen Hamilton.
By Joe Shepherd on October 19, 2021 at 9:35 AM
Lockheed Martin’s SHiELD is one of many directed energy weapon concepts out there. (Lockheed Martin)
It’s an old joke in defense circles that laser weapons are the technology of the future, and always will be. But for Pentagon planners, the dream of directed energy capabilities does, finally, seem to be transitioning to reality. In a new analysis, however, Joe Shepherd, vice president of directed energy innovation as Booz Allen Hamilton, argues that the department may be putting its money into the wrong area of study for this crucial capability.
Most of the Pentagon’s current research in directed energy weapons concerns continuous-wave lasers, which use a relatively low-power, high-energy beam to burn out optical sensors or gradually cause other material damage. But defense leaders are increasingly interested in ultrashort pulse lasers (USPLs), unimaginably high-powered beams fired for a tiny fraction of a second to vaporize a small portion of a target’s surface or disrupt its electronics.
As the US military searches for new air defense layers to ward off drone swarms and hypersonic missiles, it should put more funding toward realizing the promise of USPLs.
https://breakingdefense.com/2021/10/rapid-pulse-laser-weapons-could-be-the-pentagons-future-edge/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BreakingDefense+%28Breaking+Defense%29
