Pentagon Tests 4 Directed-Energy Weapons for Base Defense

The US military is moving directed-energy weapons from demonstrations towards operational testing at American bases, selecting four systems for a new homeland counter-drone pilot. The Pentagon said the weapons chosen are AeroVironment’s Palletized High-Energy Laser, Epirus’ Leonidas high-powered microwave, Kord’s Firefly high-energy laser and Boeing’s Compact Laser Weapon System.

The programme is being run by Joint Interagency Task Force 401, or JIATF-401, the Army-led organisation responsible for coordinating counter-drone efforts across the military and other federal agencies. Army Brig Gen Matt Ross, the task force director, said the pilot would test how high-energy lasers and high-powered microwaves could be integrated into a layered defence system. The Pentagon plans to collect real-time data on the weapons’ performance, operating costs and maintenance requirements. Five bases will put the systems to the test The pilot will run for a year, with service members operating and maintaining the weapons at the selected installations.

The five sites are Fort Huachuca in Arizona, Fort Bliss in Texas, Naval Base Kitsap in Washington, Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. The Pentagon has not said which weapon will be deployed at which base, how many systems will be fielded or what the overall pilot will cost. The reason for testing different technologies is straightforward: lasers and microwaves attack the drone problem in fundamentally different ways. A high-energy laser concentrates its energy on a target and remains focused on it until the drone is disabled.

A high-powered microwave, meanwhile, can affect the electronics of multiple drones at once, making it particularly suited to countering swarms. Four weapons, two different approaches AeroVironment’s system is a palletised version of its LOCUST laser, designed to be transported and deployed where required. The company has previously demonstrated the system against drones, including during a live-fire event aboard the USS George H.W. Bush. Kord’s Firefly is another mobile laser system, with an output that can be scaled from 5 to 40 kilowatts. Boeing’s Compact Laser Weapon System is a smaller, lower-power laser designed around mobility and precision engagement.

Leonidas is different. Developed by Epirus, it uses high-powered microwaves rather than a laser and is intended to disrupt groups of drones by overwhelming their electronic systems. The company has previously reported tests in which Leonidas defeated large drone swarms. That distinction could become important as drone attacks evolve from individual aircraft into coordinated attacks involving dozens of systems. Can directed energy beat the cost problem? One of the biggest attractions of directed-energy weapons is cost. A laser or microwave engagement can potentially cost a fraction of a conventional interceptor missile, while also avoiding unexploded ammunition on the ground.

But the Pentagon is not relying solely on the headline figure for a single shot. Ross has previously warned that the real calculation must include the cost of buying, operating and maintaining the weapon. A system that is cheap to fire but expensive to keep deployed may not provide the savings expected. The pilot will therefore test the entire equation — from battlefield effectiveness to sustainment. There is also a safety challenge. Earlier this year, the FAA briefly closed airspace around El Paso after a counter-drone laser was used near Fort Bliss without the required coordination. Subsequent Pentagon-FAA testing examined the risks to aircraft, with the FAA later saying that the tested laser systems did not pose an undue risk to passenger aircraft when appropriate safety controls were in place.

The Pentagon plans another directed-energy shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah in December. For the US military, the bigger question is no longer whether lasers and microwaves can destroy drones in controlled demonstrations. It is whether they can become a reliable, affordable and safely operated layer of defence around American bases.

Source: US Bases Get New Shield: Pentagon Picks 4 Directed-Energy Weapons For Anti-Drone Pilot | Times Now

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US Bases Get New Shield: Pentagon Picks 4 Directed-Energy Weapons For Anti-Drone Pilot

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