The Navy—solid state lasers (SSLs), the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG), and the gun-launched guided projectile (GLGP) [aka hypervelocity projectile (HVP)] for about a decade. The US Navy’s proposed FY2022 budget requests research and development funding for continued work on lasers but wants to suspend further work on the EMRG and GLGP programs and requests no research …
The US Navy will place its first at-sea hypersonic missiles aboard one of the service’s three Zumwalt-class destroyers in four years (by 2025). These will likely be hypersonic warheads on regular vertically launched missiles. Hypersonic warheads can go faster and can move around more than regular warheads. Hypersonic weapons go at 5 times the speed …
The expensive and problem-filled F-35 stealth fighter program appears on track to finally getting cut short. The US Air Force is starting a months-long study of tactical aviation requirements that would lead to winding to the F-35 stealth fighter program. The study will look at a force mix that addresses both near- and long-term requirements. …
The US Congress is looking to spend $6 billion in 2021 for a Pacific Deterrence Initiative which would be funding for operations in the Pacific to counter China. The general in charge of the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific would like to see some of it spent on hypersonic weapons. General Wilsbach has no …
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) and Boeing are working together to scale 100 kW-class lasers to 250 kW-class High Energy Laser (HEL) weapon system to they can shoot down missiles and not just drones. The HEL weapon system will combine GA-EMS’ scalable distributed gain laser technology, HELLi-ion battery systems and integrated thermal management with Boeing’s …
In 2022, the US Army will field test two high-energy lasers. A 50-kilowatt weapon to destroy enemy drones and incoming artillery rockets and a 300-kW weapon that could potentially shoot down cruise missiles. The US Navy has installed and tested 150 kilowatt lasers and will be testing 300-kilowatt lasers. US Army’s Six Modernization Priorities 1. …
The US army is planning to test-fire a cannon in 2023 with a range of 1000 miles. Current US artillery has 15-45 mile ranges. The benefit of having 1000 mile ranges is that the combat radius of fighter planes is about 700-800 miles unless there is midair refueling. US Aircraft carriers have a strike range …
A team led by Fan Xuejun at the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a type of scramjet that ran continuously for 600 seconds in a ground test, Weihutang, a program on military affairs affiliated with state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), reported on over the weekend. This broke the …
The US Air Force and Northrop Grumman have published photorealistic renderings of new concepts for the next-generation stealth bomber, the B-21. The B-21 was expected to reach IOC (initial operating capability) in the mid-2020s but there was a recent statement by Global Strike Command chief Gen. Robin Rand that IOC might slip to late-2020s. The …
Israel’s Defense Ministry and defense companies Rafael and Elbit Systems and academic institutions made a combat laser breakthrough. It is based on the precision of the laser beam, which can be focused on long-range targets and which can overcome atmospheric disturbances such as clouds and dust storms. They are able to take several laser beams …
The US Air Force is looking to shift to just making multiple next-generation technology fighters. They will not endlessly hone requirements for some super fighter that would be built in 25 years. The Air Force would rapidly churn out aircraft with new technologies. The vision is that every four or five years there will be …