La Oficina de Investigaci\u00f3n y Desarrollo de la US NAVY, \u00a0contin\u00faa con una serie de proyectos de avanzada relacionados con Armas de Energ\u00eda Directa (LASER) y el Ca\u00f1\u00f3n Electromagn\u00e9tico. Este organismo ha tenido en alg\u00fan momento, cerca de 10.000 proyectos de investigaci\u00f3n relacionados con el perfeccionamiento de las Armas de Energ\u00eda Directa (LASER) \u00a0o ca\u00f1ones electromagn\u00e9ticos, capaces de disparar sus proyectiles a velocidades enormemente mayores y a m\u00e1s distancia que los ca\u00f1ones convencionales con p\u00f3lvora. Cabe destacar, que el buque USS PONCE desplegado en Medio oriente, tiene como dotaci\u00f3n el primer “Combat ready” LASER capaz de perforar la coraza de otro buques o derribar drones.<\/p>\n
China is expanding<\/a> its influence in the Pacific Ocean to the chagrin of U.S. allies, but the Office of Naval Research aims to keep the technological edge of America\u2019s fleets by developing new laser weapons and electromagnetic rail gun cannons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Robert Freeman, a spokesman for the Office of Naval Research, says \u201cat any given moment we have 10,000 research projects going on,\u201d including research to perfect directed energy lasers with unlimited ammunition to shoot down waves of missiles or rail guns that can launch a simple projectile farther and faster than any gunpowder cannon. The USS Ponce deployed in the Middle East is carrying the first \u201ccombat-ready\u201d laser weapon that has proved capable of melting holes in boats and shooting down drones<\/a>, but Freeman says \u201cwe want better,\u201d noting that it\u2019s a work in progress.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Rear Adm. Mathias Winter on Friday said during an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, D.C., that more work needs to be done but that the laser on the Ponce is \u201cready\u201d to shoot down aerial adversaries if needed. Winter said he is \u201cexcited\u201d about the Navy\u2019s next steps to research \u201cenergy density, energy storage \u2026 and high-resolution optics\u201d to make directed energy weapons more effective.\u201d If all goes well, he aims to add directed-energy technologies \u201con aircraft carriers, destroyers and other ships as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Rail guns have also reached the \u201cengineering prototype stage,\u201d he said, noting that Navy engineers are trying to design materials, projectiles and a ship-based aiming platform for the electromagnetic pulse-powered cannon that can withstand the intense heat it generates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Freeman says the electromagnetic cannon could be a powerful weapon for combat against ships and planes because \u201cit can tear through sheets of metal,\u201d but it is most promising because \u201cit uses no chemical propulsion,\u201d and could eliminate the risk of a ship\u2019s ammunition stockpile exploding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cOur need to carry gunpowder with us is a big vulnerability to our ships,\u201d he says. \u201cA rail gun could eliminate that need.\u201d Freeman had few unclassified details on the potential to develop the shields but confirmed the military \u201cis interested in electromagnetic warfare,\u201d including possible defenses to protect a ship\u2019s electronics from an energy pulse that could knock them offline.<\/p>\n
\n <\/b><\/i>
\n\u201cDeterrence is sometimes as good as the actual use,\u201d Winter, the chief of the Office of Naval Research, said of the laser deployed on the Ponce.<\/p>\n
\n <\/i>
\nWinter says the Navy is also researching \u201cStar Wars\u201d\u2013style deflector shields to protect against the new field of energy weapons, adding \u201cthat is years away, but we have to be working on that\u201d to complement the advancement of laser technology.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n