The US military is testing a weapon that can quietly shoot down a flying drone cluster. It is a high-power microwave radiation transmitter, installed on a 20-foot high container. It is named after the fictional weapon laser pointer in “Star Trek”.
It is a high-power microwave radiation transmitter installed on the top of a standard 20-foot container. The system uses MPQ-64 sentinel radar and short-range tactical radar to detect and track targets, and then transfer intelligence information to Phaser. The entire system is driven by a diesel generator and can operate independently. Phaser sent a short jet of microwave energy towards the incoming drone, disabling its control system and engine and crashing.
The U.S. Army’s air defense forces have always had an overwhelming advantage. They have almost never encountered an opponent in decades. Today, the potential threat from ISIS and the increasingly mature drone cluster technology have prompted the Army’s air defense forces to start. Gradually pay attention to the feasibility of directed energy weapon anti-UAV cluster operations.
Compared with other anti-drone technologies, Phaser has more advantages. Unlike the laser anti-UAV technology, the laser can only aim and shoot down one drone at a time, and the Phaser can launch at a certain angle, making it possible to deal with a group of drones. Of course, this requires a great energy density. The battlefield energy supply is a problem.
It is not limited to aerial threats such as drones, and can also be used to destroy cars, tanks, helicopters and other electronic equipment within the target range. The project was not declassified until recently, but in fact, the US military’s air defense artillery department has been studying this project in Fort Still, Oklahoma since 2013.
Turkey has developed two continuous wave anti-UAV laser weapons. The Turkish Communication Security Research Center has completed the development and testing of two green laser pointer systems and plans to equip the Turkish Army. It is understood that both laser systems use continuous wave lasers with a working wavelength of 1070 nanometers (±10 nanometers). The first laser system is called Armol Vehicle Laser System (VMLS), which can be integrated on Ottoka’s “Cobra” 4×4 light armored vehicle (LAV). The rear of the “Cobra” armored vehicle is equipped with a 220-kilowatt power supply. The top is equipped with a tilted high-energy laser. The maximum output power can reach 5 kilowatts. Internal rotation.
The vehicle-mounted laser system includes a thermal camera, daylight camera, laser rangefinder and laser illuminator, which can interfere with cameras and other optical equipment within a maximum range of 7.5 kilometers, damage drones and improvised explosions within a maximum range of 1 kilometers Device. If a radar system is installed, target tracking can be achieved. The second type of laser system is the Tumol mobile laser system mounted on the rifle, which can be used to interfere with drones and can be mounted on weapons equipped with Picatinny rails.