La US Air Force se encuentra ensayando en \u00c1frica su sistema de defensa contra enjambres de UAV denominado THOR, que ser\u00e1 empleado tambi\u00e9n por el US Army. Consiste en una plataforma m\u00f3vil que dispone de un poderoso sistema integrado de sensores y armas de microondas (Microwave – DEW), capaz de neutralizar la amenaza de enjambres de UAV\u00b4s, sobre instalaciones terrestres o tropas desplegadas. Se eligi\u00f3 \u00c1frica para su evaluaci\u00f3n operacional, ya que permite verificar su desempe\u00f1o en escenarios de combate con enemigo real, en conflictos contra elementos irregulares.<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON: The Air Force is testing its prototype drone-killing microwave, the Tactical High Power Microwave Operational Responder (THOR)<\/a>, \u201cin a real-world setting\u201d in Africa, says Richard Joseph, the Air Force\u2019s chief scientist. Given how Iran and its proxies have used drone swarms, this would seem to be a good place to test without risking escalation, or Iran developing countermeasures.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have recently deployed a test system to Africa for base defense \u2026 based on a microwave system. And the purpose is to be able to disrupt and destroy the performance of drones or swarms of drones,\u201d he told the Mitchell Institute today. \u201cIt\u2019s been tested extensively, works remarkably well. \u2026 I\u2019ve watched it in action and it\u2019s really quite impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n He demurred on providing details about when THOR might be ready for operational deployment, but did note that technology development is ongoing and that in the end the service may choose a different weapon system. That said, Joseph said THOR was \u201cbetter than anything else\u201d the service has right now, and noted that \u201cthe capabilities that can be incorporated in system are increasing day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n As only Breaking D readers know,<\/a> the Air Force back in August was readying THOR for overseas field experiments, with Army warfighters in particular keen to get their hands on directed-energy weapons designed to counter small unmanned aerial systems (C-sUAS). THOR uses high-powered microwaves to fry drones\u2019 electronics, shooting swarms out of the sky at short ranges. If anti-drone lasers are like sniper rifles, microwave weapons are like shotguns full of birdshot.<\/p>\n THOR was designed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), <\/a>and it uses a radar that AFRL bought from Idaho-based startup Black Sage<\/a> last month.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Enabling \u201clogistics under attack,\u201d including figuring out how to protect bases, is one of the Air Force\u2019s top-four priorities for the future. The Air Force\u2019s Strategic Development Planning & Experimentation (SDPE) Office, which leads service field experiments including the THOR testing, announced in April<\/a> that it also was going to deploy Raytheon\u2019s High Energy Laser (HELWS) and High Power Microwave (PHASER) prototypes for overseas testing. Finally, AFRL also is working on the\u00a0Counter-Electronic High-Power Microwave Extended-Range Air Base Air Defense (CHIMERA),<\/a> designed to defeat targets at medium to long ranges.<\/p>\n While the Army is also interested in microwave weapons for base defense, its leadership has decided to let the Air Force take the lead in developing microwave weapons that might be used by both services, and is focus its own research and development funding on using lasers to kill drones. Meanwhile, as Sydney reported on Monday,<\/a> the Army has put together a new Army Installations Strategy<\/a> that lays out a vision for making Army bases in the US<\/em> more resilient, adaptable and connected. While that strategy emphasizes cyber threats and disinformation, it also includes physical security \u2014 and small, cheap drones are a growing threat.<\/p>\n An interagency tug-of-war is brewing between the Air Force and the Army (as well as the Navy) on responsibility for defending air bases both abroad and at home. Air Force leaders are arguing that the costs of protecting those bases is not just its burden to bear<\/a>; rather that its sister services have to pay up as well.<\/p>\n Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown told the Senate Armed Services Committee<\/a> in written answers for\u00a0his confirmation hearing<\/a> that the time has come for a new roles and missions study, in part to sort out who is responsible for base protection. \u201cWith the growing threat and joint operations from more distributed locations, the roles and missions for base defense\u2014from the fence line to all the way up to hypersonics\u2014is worthy of discussion and review,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n