The US Air Force (USAF) has contracted Raytheon to develop and deliver a prototype high-power microwave (HPM) system for destroying hostile drones.
Raytheon has previously demonstrated similar systems for the USAF and US Army.
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Raytheon’s HPM targets and disables drone using directed energy rather than kinetic force, and uses a wide beam to attack multiple unmanned targets at once. This could make the weapon effective against swarms of drones rather than a single, larger target.
Raytheon has contracts to develop directed energy and laser-based counter-UAS systems which are being tested as a tool to defend military bases. Using directed energy to destroy a target is more cost-effective than conventional missiles which often cost much more than the target.
Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems vice president Dr Thomas Bussing said: “There’s more than one way to defeat a drone.
“We are delivering the world’s first defensive directed energy systems that can be used alone or in tandem to defeat enemy drones at the speed of light.”
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By GlobalDataThe company’s work in the field includes the development of HPM and high energy laser (HEL) systems which can be used independently or together to ensure a target is destroyed.
On its website, Raytheon says: “One of the most effective counter-unmanned aerial system defences is a high-power microwave beam that disrupts the internal systems of a drone so it can’t fly. This technology helps protect US military bases and naval ships.”
Earlier this year the US Navy used a similar directed energy weapon to destroy an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz, proving the viability of the weapons in a military engagement.
Whereas laser and conventional weapons physically destroy targets, directed energy weapons use radio and other frequencies to disrupt a drone’s connection with its operator causing it to land safely automatically or plunge from the air.
