Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC
The US military is developing an electromagnetic pulse anti-personnel weapon capable of being fired from an airborne platform to deter adversaries without causing injury.
The focus of the recently declassified Active Denial System is on field testing a vehicle-mounted ground system, but project officials see airborne applications and the possible development of a man-portable variant. It has been developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the US Marine Corps-led Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate over the past decade at a cost of about $40 million. Project officials now seek approval from the Department of Defense to conduct field trials. Successful testing would lead to development of an acquisition plan.
The directed energy weapon was developed to give the US military and law enforcement options short of lethal force. It directs a narrow, low-energy, millimetre-wavelength electromagnetic beam onto an enemy soldier or rioter, producing sufficient heat to cause the individual to retreat but without causing injury, say US officials.
The beam is aimed via a bore-sighted television camera. The day/night weapon is believed to be operable in all-weather conditions. Range is classified, but programme officials believe it can be effective at 750m (2,250ft), allowing for its use on helicopters, tactical unmanned air vehicles or special mission aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin AC-130 Spectre gunship. The weapon will initially be tested on a light tactical ground vehicle.
Supporting the directed energy development is systems integrator Raytheon with support from CPI and Veridian Engineering. Col George Fenton, director of the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons programme, says the technology has been available for some time.
Source: Flight International
