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The US Navy and Air Pressure will quickly full a five-year analysis effort right into a high-tech directed power system
The US army will run a “capstone check” for a brand new high-power microwave weapon, in keeping with Pentagon builders, who additionally famous progress on a separate microwave system meant to deliver down enemy “drone swarms.”
Remaining trials for the Excessive-Powered Joint Electromagnetic Non-Kinetic Strike Weapon (HiJENKS) will likely be performed collectively by the Air Pressure Analysis Laboratory (AFRL) and the Workplace of Naval Analysis at a army base close to California’s China Lake, a part of intensive checks this summer time which marked the top of a five-year growth venture.
Jeffry Heggemeier, who leads the AFRL’s high-power electromagnetics division, mentioned the weapon nonetheless hasn’t discovered a platform, however famous that its smaller dimension would enable for quite a lot of makes use of in fight.
“We’ll begin taking a look at extra service-specific purposes as soon as we’ve performed this check that demonstrates the expertise,” he advised reporters throughout a briefing late final month.
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The HiJENKS is designed to make use of high-powered microwaves to disable enemy electronics, constructing upon earlier work carried out greater than a decade in the past below the Counter-electronics Excessive Energy Microwave Superior Missile Challenge, also called CHAMP.
The Air Pressure can also be making headway on one other directed power microwave system, the Tactical Excessive Energy Operational Responder (THOR), which goals to “disable drone swarms” that may threaten troops or army bases, in keeping with THOR program supervisor Adrian Lucero.
“There are different effectors on the market which might be meant to go in opposition to drone programs like weapons, nets and laser programs,” Lucero mentioned throughout the identical June presser. “However what THOR brings to the desk is it has a bigger vary to have an effect on and it has a decreased engagement time.”
A prototype for THOR was just lately despatched overseas for testing, throughout which growth groups tried to increase the system’s vary and enhance its energy, Lucero went on, including that the weapon was 94% dependable through the trials and proved it might be helpful “in the true world.”
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