Lasers on fighter jets by 2020, the USAF and Northrop Grumman get cosy

0 0

By Matthew Griffin Security and Privacy 23rd November 2016

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

New threats, such as drone swarms and new hypersonic planes and missile systems, are increasingly testing America’s defensive capabilities, as a consequence the US Military are now pushing the development of laser and directed energy weapons to counter these new threats hard.

With new threats such as drone swarms and new hypersonic weapons platforms on the horizon the Pentagon has recently had to rethink its defensive strategy. And one of the biggest winners are lasers and directed energy weapons. This week, following hot on the heels of the Pentagon’s announcement that they were going to begin outfitting vehicles and Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) with lasers, Northrop Grumman announced that it will help the US Air Force (USAF) to develop the control system for a new defensive laser weapon which will be installed on the USAF’s existing and future aircraft after its been successfully tested in 2019.

Researchers successfully weaponise AI to create a "Biometric master key"

The contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) will see the company develop and build what’s known as a “beam control system” for a laser weapon demonstrator that AFRL is developing under its Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) program.

“Our Northrop Grumman-led team is integrating an innovative beam director with proven beam control technologies to help the Air Force define and successfully demonstrate a laser weapon capability for current and next generation aircraft,” said W. Mark Skinner, vice president, directed energy, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.

While there aren’t many details yet it looks like the new system will be housed in a pod slung beneath the airframe of the aircraft (which could arguably ruin the stealth profile of the plane) and be small enough to be installed on fighter aircraft like the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightening, as well as the US’ expanding drone fleets where it will be used as a defensive weapon to target hostile incoming missiles, drones and enemy warplanes.

DARPA wants to build "Vampire Drones" that turn into gas at sunrise

The new system will be an active focus device, which means that not only will it be expected to acquire and tracks targets but that it’ll also be expected to monitor the air conditions along the path of the laser beam and alter the focus to counteract any disturbances, so that it strikes the target for maximum effect.

When developed, it’s likely that the new system will be integrated with the laser, power source, and cooling systems of the fighter jets laser weapons systems. It’s intended that the completed weapon will be tested in 2019 using a supersonic tactical weapon as an aerial test platform.

Matthew Griffin / About Author

Described by NASA as a "Walking Encyclopaedia of the Future" and one of the world’s most in demand keynote speakers Matthew Griffin, Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm, is a multi-award winning Futurist and strategic foresight expert, author, lecturer, mentor, podcast and YouTube host.

With a distinguished career running global business units at Atos, EMC, and IBM today Matthew helps leaders and titans of industry from all over the world explore the impact of the inter sections of technology, culture, and leadership, then helps them create high performance organisations that can continuously disrupt, outpace, and outthink their competition.

15 times author of the hit series the Codex of the Future series Matthew's ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends on global business, culture, and society has earned him a powerful reputation and a roster of clients that include royal households, world leaders across the G7, G20, and G77, and many of the world's most recognised and exceptional organisations including ABB, Accenture, ABN Amro, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi Group, Coca Cola, Deloitte, Dentons, Disney, Dow, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Microsoft, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Nokia, Paramount, PepsiCo, PWC, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, T-Mobile, UBS, Visa, WIRED, WPP and hundreds of others.

Matthew is regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, and his mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.