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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [TECHNOLOGY]

2 clusters · 5 sources · 9 days · First seen · Last updated

U.S. directed-energy drone defense development

Overview

The U.S. military is expanding its use of directed-energy technologies to counter drone threats. At Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the U.S. Space Force is implementing a laser weapon designed to provide a “kinetic kill” against drones in restricted airspace. This system aims to avoid the electronic interference caused by radio-frequency jammers, which can affect rockets and spacecraft during launch.

Broadening this effort, the Pentagon has selected four high-energy laser and microwave weapon systems for operational testing through a pilot program managed by Joint Interagency Task Force 401. These systems, which include technologies from AeroVironment, Epirus, Kord, and Boeing, are being evaluated as cost-effective alternatives to conventional missiles. While lasers use heat to damage targets, microwave systems utilize electromagnetic energy to disrupt electronics. The U.S. Army has committed nearly $500 million toward the production of these new weapon generations.

Entities

AeroVironment · Port Canaveral · U.S. Space Force · Brian Chatman · Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Timeline

  1. [TECHNOLOGY] 4 sources
    Pentagon selects laser and microwave weapons for drone defense testing

    The Pentagon is testing four high-energy laser and microwave weapon systems to counter drone threats, utilizing directed-energy technology as a cost-effective alternative to conventional missiles.

  2. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    U.S. Space Force adds laser defenses to Cape Canaveral

    The U.S. Space Force is adding a directed-energy laser to Cape Canaveral to physically destroy drones, supplementing existing radio-frequency jammers and AI-driven sensor software.

Sources

dronexl.co · interestingengineering.com · socialnews.xyz · sofx.com · wonderfulengineering.com