Power

British military awards contracts for electromagnetic warfare and laser weapons on vehicles and ships

Sept. 23, 2021

Laser weapons will go aboard a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate and a military truck, while an electromagnetic warfare weapon is for a combat vehicle.

LONDON – The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded three directed-energy weapons demonstrator contracts totaling $100 million to British industry teams. Defense News reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

23 Sept. 2021 -- Directed-energy trials will involve systems mounted on a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate surface warship, a military truck, and an armored combat vehicle, MOD officials say. Trials will run from 2023 to 2025.

Two of the demonstrators will use high-energy laser weapons, while a third program will involve an electromagnetic warfare RF and microwave directed-energy weapon -- all as part of the British Novel Weapons Programme.

Two contracts are going to teams led by Thales UK, and a third contract is to Raytheon UK. Laser weapons disable or destroy targets with intense heat generated by concentrated beams of light, while electromagnetic weapons use aimed bursts of electromagnetic pulse to fry guidance and control electronics aboard targets.

John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics