So it’s not quite sharks with laser beams on their heads. It’s more of a Humvee with a short-range laser weapon system on its head.
Of course we’re referring to the recent award of an $11 million US Naval Research contract to Raytheon, in order to develop advanced, vehicle-based laser devices. These weapons, which will be capable of dealing with low-flying threats like enemy drones, have catapulted the concept of laser weapons from the domain of sci-fi to very much a reality.
In the technical sphere, ‘laser beams’ are more correctly referred to as directed energy weapons (DEW). Most likely to put some distance between the actual weapons and the inevitable images of laser guns and lightsabers that the overall concept conjures.
Seriously speaking though, the term directed energy weapon actually covers a range of weapons, which focus high-energy emissions to launch an offensive against the enemy such that there is minimum collateral damage.
Electromagnetic waves (masers, lasers, radio frequency, and microwave), supersonic sound, and particles with mass can all constitute the energy used to attack the enemy. DEWs can have vast defensive and offensive applications, including damaging armored vehicles and missile defense systems, jamming electronic devices, acting as anti-personnel weapon systems and other Rambo-esque escapades.
The Global Directed Energy Weapons Market is expected to post a CAGR of 23.16 percent during the forecast period, thanks to overall global unrest, an increase in security threats and the related increase in defense budgets.
There is a significant amount of money being put towards developing advanced weapons systems—overall defense budgets are expected to increase by 0.6 percent from 2013 to 2014, to US$1.55 trillion— and directed energy weapons account for a significant share of defence budgets worldwide, as various countries modernize their military systems.
All About Raytheon
The Raytheon deal is just one example of the increased investment into R&D in this area.
Despite sounding like a textbook Evil Organization, Raytheon provides products and solutions to various sectors, not just defence. It has a relatively wide product portfolio that also spans the security and civil aviation spheres.
The company, which started its operations in 1922 as the American Appliance Company has four business segments: Integrated Defense Systems; Intelligence, Information, and Services; Missile Systems; and Space and Airborne Systems.
