An American military ally has detected an unusual threat: a small quadcopter is approaching. This kind of drone is priced at US$200 online, and everyone can buy it. In the end, the drone was shot down by a Patriot missile worth 3 million. The threat was wiped out, but it was expensive.
This incident highlights a problem facing the global armed forces today: How can we best defend against a new generation of weapons?
The development of science and technology changes with each passing day, and modern warfare technology is also developing rapidly. The current threats are advanced in technology, relatively low cost, small in scale and lethal. Using the most expensive missiles to deal with hundreds of cheap drones is not a sustainable strategy. The new defense measures use artificial intelligence to help decision makers respond to potential threats with tactical speed-data and predictive analysis and swarms of drones.
The energy-guiding weapon and laser pointer weapon system is a proven solution that effectively solves technology-driven threats and has more accurate, more flexible and more economical performance than traditional ballistics. Dr. Rob Afzal, Senior Researcher of Laser and Sensor Systems at Lockheed Martin, said: “They are designed to be very precise, produce minimal collateral damage, and essentially provide endless ammunition. As long as you have Energy, you can shoot-when you have to face a large number of low-cost distributed threats, this is a crucial weapon, such as a group of drones, each carrying a small explosive.
Nowadays, there are decades of research behind the energy guiding weapon system. Lockheed Martin has spent 40 years designing and developing electromagnetic energy systems, and by enhancing the energy of the system to create a directed energy defense system.
The technology is powered by batteries, generators or existing power sources, and is a kind of spectral beam combined fiber laser-small in size, high in power and extremely high in accuracy. This technology uses beam control optics and software algorithms to focus a multi-kilowatt fiber laser into a high-quality beam.
Energy is transmitted through mirrors, lenses, and windows, and can be adjusted according to any atmospheric deformation during the process of reaching the target. The beam can penetrate the engine of a truck, burn a rubber boat or shoot down a drone. Said Sarah Reeves, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of missile defense projects. “You can’t actually see the green laser pointer, it’s invisible. The enemy can’t aim the laser without knowing where the laser is emitted. Of course, the laser travels at the speed of light.”
The uniqueness of energy-guiding weapons breaks the balance of defense tactically and economically. Troops on the battlefield do not have to worry about transporting heavy ammunition. The “ammunition” of this technology is only a power source, so the ammunition is unlimited. Being so concealed, they are ideal targets for unexpected attacks—the enemy will never see their arrival—and energy-guided weapons can track and eliminate short- and long-range targets.
As the Patriot missile incident demonstrated, energy-guided weapons can provide huge potential cost savings and added value in any tactical scheme. The cost of traditional weapons is thousands or millions of dollars per round, and they are also subject to ammunition restrictions. As long as they have energy, laser weapons are infinitely renewable.