EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Comments (6)
why we are not focused (and much further along) on energy beam weaponry is an indictment of a pink Pentagon full of putrid garbage. the halls of the Pentagon must be emptied of this dross.
Barefootcavalry at 4:32 AMIn the 80s I worked in communication on our ICBMs that are now disabled. I feel the US needs to get out in front of Russia/China and develop a real satellite laser defense system as Ronny wanted. It can be done and a lot of effort and cash is worth it.
Paul Schroeder at 2:31 PMSounds likea task for the external burning Project Upstage.
sferrin at 1:45 PM
The problem with counter-hypersonic SAMs is that the DoD has to fly the launcher to the guarded site and deploy the trucks and systems at the airfield. And then all the units have to drive from the airfield to the guarded location (port, city, base, airfield, whatever), set up, and defend the area. Against hypersonic missiles, that takes up too much time. The Israeli "Arrow" SAM is fast enough to engage hypersonic missiles with rumors of Mach 10-15+ speeds.
I think the best defense is the resurrection of the Airborne Laser (ABL). A 737 ABL can take off, loiter, and aerial refuel and remain on station for hours or even days with the proper bunks and crew shifts. Instead of the toxic stew of chemicals as on the 747 ABL, can the 737 E-7A "Wedgetail's" MESA radar antennae be converted into a wide-band laser to shoot at the hypersonic, supersonic, and cruise missiles? Instead of a focused beam against ICBMs like the 747 ABL, can the E-7 ABL pulsate lasers at the hypersonic missile to at least damage the aerodynamic skin or create enough heat to render the fins or missile to fall short of its flight trajectory? That way with 360-laser emitters from the "Wedgetail," the E-7A ABL doesn't have to steer to shoot its nose as the targets and can attack multiple targets at once from the dorsal antennae. Or...make the MESA antennae some sort of miniature HVP railguns that shoots for hundreds of miles with lots of hypersonic BB pellets for anti-hypersonic missile flak.
I do not have much confidence in the U.S. developing a counter measure to Russian hyper-sonic missiles. The U.S. under Biden is more concerned with climate change than defense.
Wayne Howell at 3:23 AM
I think Russia and China are producing a lot of wishful thinking rather than having an actual functioning system. The hypersonic used in Ukraine was nothing more than a sonic missile that actually in some cases missed the target.
alex cokonis at 5:24 PM