Defense One:
The Senate’s version of the annual defense bill provides $200 million for rapid prototyping of directed energy weapons.
There’s no shortage of U.S. military interest in battlefield lasers and other directed-energy weapons. From truck-mounted lasers to high-powered microwaves that take down small drones, the Army, Navy, and Air Force are all exploring the possibilities. But congressional leaders say for all that interest, the technology’s not getting into the field fast enough.
Take the electronics-frying missile CHAMP, Counter-electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project: Developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory in conjunction with Boeing, and successfully flight-tested in 2012, the missile isn’t being fielded by any of the services.
