La US Air Force est\u00e1 ensayando Sistemas de Armas de Energ\u00eda Dirigida (Laser), montadas en veh\u00edculos areneros del tipo \u201cPolaris”, para incorporar capacidades de neutralizaci\u00f3n, de la creciente amenaza ocasionada por los UAS. El sistema HELWS (High Energy Laser Weapon System), ya en su tercera versi\u00f3n, dispone de un m\u00f3dulo para generar el L\u00e1ser, una fuente de energ\u00eda compacta apta para su montaje en una plataforma liviana altamente m\u00f3vil y un sistema de mitigaci\u00f3n de la temperatura generada por todo el sistema. Las pruebas de campo han permitido destruir en 5 seg, un drone a 3 km de distancia. Es el momento ahora de pasar a la etapa de experimentaci\u00f3n operacional.<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Air Force is testing whether lasers mounted on the backs of dune buggies could be the counter-drone weapon the military needs.<\/p>\n
The High Energy Laser Weapon System, or HELWS, uses directed energy to defeat incoming unmanned aerial systems<\/a> \u2014 a threat that military leaders are increasingly concerned about. Drones can be small and incredibly mobile, making them difficult to hit with traditional weaponry. That\u2019s why the Air Force and others are looking to emerging technologies including lasers and microwave weapons as possible drone-stopping solutions.<\/p>\n The Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Raytheon Technologies a $23.8 million contract in 2019 for two HELWS prototypes, granting $13.1 million later that year for a third prototype.<\/p>\n HELWS includes a laser module that generates the beam, a magazine that provides enough power for dozens of shots, and thermal systems to keep the whole system at the right temperature. But the most expensive component \u2014 and the one with the longest lead time \u2014 is the hybrid electro-optical infrared sensor\/beam director.<\/p>\n \u201c[We] inserted an optical path that allowed us to fire the laser out the primary aperture while we are sensing,\u201d explained Evan Hunt, Raytheon\u2019s lead for high-energy laser business development. \u201cSo the thing you are looking at is exactly the thing that your laser beam hits, which is one of the great features of the system.\u201d<\/p>\n For the weapon to work, the system must keep the laser on the target throughout the engagement while directing enough energy over the distance to destroy or disable it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt takes us roughly 5 seconds to shoot down a drone within 3 kilometers or so,\u201d said Hunt.<\/p>\n The whole system is controlled via a game-style controller and a single laptop.<\/p>\n \u201cOur customers don\u2019t really want to stand up entirely new job professions within the Air Force or the Army \u2014 to make a corps of laser weapon operators,\u201d said Hunt. \u201cSo we very deliberately designed the interface to be easy to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n