The drones were shot down by lasers and microwaves mounted on vehicles like this one. UPI/US Air Force.
The US Air Force has successfully tested ground to air microwave and laser weapons in an exercise. UPI. Dozens of drones were shot down in the exercise according to defense contractor Raytheon. The high powered microwave disrupts drone controls while the laser shoots them down. Though the weapons have applications in an air to air role, these weapons would be used for defense against enemy drones.
My Comment:
A quick post about how technology is advancing. I don't know if these systems are combat ready but it is clear that the US military needs defenses against drones. Right now they don't really have much that can shoot down or detect drones.
The threat is real. ISIS has pioneered the use of drones for terror attacks. Many times in Syria ISIS used small drones loaded with grenades and used them as an effective weapon. The terror applications are obvious.
ISIS isn't the only threat though. There was the disturbing incident in Venezuela where dictator Nicholas Maduro was almost assassinated by a drone. And Iran has been using their drones to photograph US ships, and those US ships either unwilling or unable to do anything about it.
These laser and microwave systems might help with the threat. If the drones can be detected it seems likely that they can be shot down or at least disrupted. That's better than no defense.
But I do wonder if radar is advanced enough that they can actually find these drones. Radar isn't always able to detect very small drones like the ones hobbyists use. Having a way to shoot down these drones is useful only if they can be seen. Right now that's not a sure thing unless US technology has advanced more than we realize.
No comments:
Post a Comment