Raytheon Lasers and Microwaves Down 45 Targets
During a recent US Army exercise Raytheon advanced microwave and laser weapons downed a total of 45 airborne targets, including UAS and drones. The exercise – the Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX) – was held at the Army’s Fires Center of Excellence in Fort Sill, OK.
The event brings military and industrial leaders together to assess and demonstrate methods of bridging what the Army sees as capability gaps in long-range fires and manoeuvre short-range air defence. Raytheon’s contribution included demonstrations of a high-powered microwave system that engaged multiple UAS swarms, downing a total of 33 drones, two and three at a time. Also demonstrated was the company’s high energy laser (HEL), which identified, tracked, engaged and neutralised 12 airborne, manoeuvring, Class I and II UAS and destroyed six stationary mortar projectiles.
“The speed and low cost per engagement of directed energy is revolutionary in protecting our troops against drones,” commented Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems Vice President, Dr. Thomas Bussing. Raytheon and the US Air Force Research Laboratory have worked together under a $2 million contract to test and demonstrate high-power microwave, counter-UAV technologies.
“Our customer needed a solution, and they needed it fast. So, we took what we’ve learned and combined it with combat-proven components to rapidly deliver a small, self-contained and easily deployed counter-UAV system,” observed, the Director of Raytheon’s HEL product line, Dr. Ben Allison.
