Naval Directed-Energy Weapons - No Longer a Future Weapon Concept.

摘要

Directed-energy weapon (DEW) technologies typically take the form of high- energy lasers (HELs), high-power microwaves (HPMs), and charged-particle beams. This article focuses on the first two technology areas, as they have reached the point of being ready for operational testing and evaluation, and in some cases, operational use on the battlefield. DEWs have been popularized in science-fiction writings for over a hundred years. The Department of Defense (DoD) has been investing in their development since the 1970s. This article will not go into technical depth regarding the various directed-energy (DE)- related efforts currently underway in the Navy, but rather, it will overview DE areas under development and relate recent Navy leadership activity. Other articles in this issue of The Leading Edge magazine will provide the reader with much greater technical and programmatic details on various DE efforts.