Raytheon considers high-energy laser weapons as best approach to defeating future hypersonic missiles
McKINNEY, Texas – Video posted on U.S. Defense contractor Raytheon’s Twitter account, appear to show future laser weapons that can stop enemy hypersonic missiles. Defence Blog reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
28 May 2019 -- Future hypersonic weapons are expected to be maneuverable, travel several times the speed of sound, and destroy targets anywhere in the world in less than an hour.
In a video statement published by Raytheon said: “What can catch a missile moving many times the speed of sound? An interceptor that’s as fast as light. See how we’re hurtling toward lasers that can stop hypersonic missiles.”
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Today’s laser weapons can already defeat drones, but cranking out enough photons to fry ballistic missiles would take far more power. Once engineers find a clean, practical and efficient way to produce all that power, they’ll also need to focus it into an ultra-precise beam. That, in turn, takes bigger optical mirrors with coatings that withstand such a massive amount of energy. And, of course, they’ll need a vehicle that can carry it all.
Related: The emerging world of hypersonic weapons technology
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
