Phrases in full American style, absolutely inconceivable for other countries. In fact the way of conceiving the armed forces is different from state to state and we say it reluctantly. But we will talk about the subject in the future.
Today, however, we are exploring the GBAD or Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy, a laser weapon designed to be installed on marine Humvees and on all tactical vehicles of the army. It represents a valid alternative to the traditional power of firearms.
The current traditional scenarios now have a strong strategic component. For a few thousand euros, anyone could equip themselves with a drone for commercial use (which does not have the same characteristics as military ones) and install a camera to transmit the images to the operator remotely. Low-cost UAVs are now at the mercy of everyone. Their technology is widespread and the use of drones is considered essential in any type of discovery and targeting mission.
The ONR System is being developed with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division and exploits the know-how acquired by the US Army Space Missile Defense Command and the Department of Defense High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office. Some components have been developed by the Penn State Electro-Optics Center and the MIT of Lincoln Laboratory. Some tests have already been performed.
The system should be able to detect, track and destroy the entire category of unmanned small and medium-sized aircraft. The fundamental challenge is to create a powerful but light laser weapon without compromising the speed and agility of the vehicles.
The marine corps is not the first to experiment with the use of laser weapons. Suffice it to say that the US Navy will test its laser cannon on the USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf by the summer (read article).
Within the year, the GBAD will be tested with a laser from 10 kW, with a field test of the complete version from 30 kW planned for the 2016. Laser weapons are part of a specific US navy program launched in the 2002 that involves researching the development and delivery of a high-tech device within five years.
Franco Iacch
