El desarrollo de \u201cDirect Energy Weapons\u201d est\u00e1 cada vez m\u00e1s cerca de su pasaje a la etapa operacional de los sistemas. Es que la proliferaci\u00f3n de nuevas amenazas, en especial las a\u00e9reas y de bajo costo, como los drones de uso comercial, han obligado a acelerar el despliegue de plataformas Laser de empleo terrestre, a\u00e9reo y naval, para complementar a los costosos sistemas actualmente disponibles. Esto modifica notablemente la Ecuaci\u00f3n Costo-Beneficio en el \u00e1mbito de la Defensa.<\/p>\n
In 2017, a U.S. military ally detected an unusual threat: a small quadcopter drone\u2014the kind anyone can buy online for $200\u2014was approaching. A $3 million Patriot missile was fired to take it down, eliminating the threat, but at a disproportionate cost. The incident highlights an issue armed forces worldwide face today: What is the best defense against a new generation of weapons?<\/p>\n
With rapidly changing technology, warfare is evolving along similar lines around the globe. Today\u2019s threats are technologically advanced, relatively low-cost, small-scale and lethal. Responding to several hundred inexpensive drones with our costliest missiles is not a sustainable strategy. New defensive measures leverage artificial intelligence to help decision-makers respond to potential threats at tactical speed, using data and predictive analytics and swarms of UAVs.<\/p>\n
Directed energy and laser weapon systems are a proven solution that effectively addresses tech-driven threats with more accurate, flexible and affordable performance than offered by traditional ballistics. \u201cThey\u2019re designed to be precise, to yield minimal collateral damage and, in essence, offer an endless magazine,\u201d said Dr. Rob Afzal, Lockheed Martin senior fellow, Laser and Sensor Systems. \u201cAs long as you have power, you can shoot\u2014that\u2019s a critical capability when you have to take on a large number of low-cost distributed threats such as a swarm of drones, each carrying a small explosive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inside Laser Weapon Systems<\/b><\/p>\n
Today\u2019s directed energy weapon systems have decades of research behind them. Lockheed Martin has spent 40 years designing and developing electromagnetic energy systems and elevating their power to create directed energy defense systems.<\/p>\n
Powered by batteries, generators or pre-existing power sources, Lockheed Martin\u2019s technology is a Spectrally Beam Combined fiber laser\u2014small, powerful and extremely accurate. It uses beam-control optics and software algorithms to focus a stream of multiple kilowatt fiber lasers into a single high-quality beam.<\/p>\n
The energy travels via mirrors, lenses and windows and can be adjusted for any atmospheric distortions on the way to its target. Normal ballistic challenges such as wind and gravity aren\u2019t a factor, and the beam can disable a truck engine, burn through a rubber boat or bring down a drone. \u201cYou can\u2019t actually see the laser light, it\u2019s invisible. The enemy wouldn\u2019t know where the laser is coming from, they wouldn\u2019t be able to target back. Of course, lasers travel at the speed of light,\u201d said Sarah Reeves, vice president, Missile Defense Programs at Lockheed Martin.<\/p>\n
Tactical and Financial Breakthroughs<\/b><\/p>\n
Directed energy weapons\u2019 unique characteristics change the defense equation both tactically and financially. Troops in the field needn\u2019t worry about transporting heavy ammunition. The \u201cammunition\u201d is merely the power supply, and the magazine is limitless. Their stealthy operation makes them ideal for surprise engagements\u2014the enemy never sees it coming\u2014and they can track and eliminate targets at both short- and long-range.<\/p>\n
And as the Patriot missile incident illustrates, directed energy weapons offer huge potential cost savings and value added in any tactical scenario. Traditional weapons cost thousands or millions of dollars per shot and are limited by availability. As long as they have power available, laser weapons are infinitely renewable. \u201cThe upfront cost is offset by the fact that the energy source, be it fuel, oil or a nuclear reactor, is often already in place,\u201d Afzal said.<\/p>\n
But laser weapon technology is meant to complement existing defense platforms, not replace traditional kinetic ballistic systems. \u201cThey\u2019re designed to act as an additional layer of defense that provides an advantage as they protect troops and critical assets,\u201d said Reeves.<\/p>\n
From the Lab to the Field<\/b><\/p>\n
Lockheed Martin is ready to deploy and integrate directed energy technology by 2021. It\u2019s the first company to bring laser weapon systems out of the lab and put them into the hands of soldiers, sailors and warfighters across all branches. \u201cIt\u2019s time for these systems to start moving into the field,\u201d said Steven Botwinik, director, Sensors & Global Sustainment Advanced Programs at Lockheed Martin. \u201cThey\u2019re ready now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lockheed Martin\u2019s research and development experience provides the knowledge needed to integrate such weapons across every defense platform. \u201cThere are obviously different priorities for each branch,\u201d Reeves said. \u201cAll of the services have the same need to find a target and defeat it\u2014and the fundamental technologies are the same\u2014but there are differences in how they might apply them in terms of tactics and target sets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lockheed Martin\u2019s ATHENA system, which is a prototype transportable, ground-based system designed to defeat close-in, low-value threats, is helping transform other defense platforms. The company provides the laser weapon system for the U.S. Navy\u2019s HELIOS program, which has been retrofitted for a DDG-51, and delivers key subsystems for the U.S. Air Force\u2019s SHiELD program, an aircraft-mounted high-power laser.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can put our laser weapon system into any existing architecture. Our systems are being designed to plug and play into any military system,\u201d said Reeves.<\/p>\n
Once implemented, directed energy weapons will become a defensive norm. \u201cWe excel not only at efficiently producing tactical electro-optical systems like these but also sustaining them over time,\u201d Botwinik said. \u201cWe\u2019re building laser systems that must be able to perform repeatedly in war-fighting environments. We have the logistics and sustainment experience to maintain these systems anytime and anywhere in the world, for years and decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n