Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, said Thursday that developing systems that use high-energy lasers or high-power microwaves to destroy threats is a top priority for the Navy.
“From a defensive standpoint, we’re focused on threats,” Gilday said at an event at the Heritage Foundation on Thursday. “We’re not ignoring it.”
Hypersonic missiles traveling at more than five times the speed of sound pose a unique challenge to U.S. defense systems. They fly much faster than conventional missiles and do not follow predictable trajectories like ballistic missiles, making them much more difficult to detect and intercept.
Gilday noted the advances adversaries like Russia and China have made in hypersonic weapons. “Both Russia and China are developing these capabilities and plan to deploy them soon.”
Russia used hypersonic Kinzhal missiles in its war in Ukraine, and China tested a hypersonic glider last year.
Directed energy systems that use lasers or microwave emitters to disrupt systems or disrupt their electronics are potential options for defense against hypersonic weapons.
This month, the Navy installed Lockheed Martin’s HELIOS laser system on the USS Preble. HELIOS stands for High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance and is the latest system in the Navy’s effort to deploy more powerful and capable defensive laser weapons.
Undersecretary of Defense Heidi Syu cites directed energy systems as a technology area of great importance to the Pentagon. For years, directed-energy systems that use lasers and microwave emitters to destroy targets have been in her science fiction world, but the technology is finally mature enough for the military to deploy, says Shyu. said earlier this year.
In 2014, the Navy successfully tested and deployed a laser weapon system on the USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf. The system could engage drones, small aircraft and small boats. Last year, the Navy tested a more advanced laser system on her USS Portland.
The United States is still in the process of testing various hypersonic systems, some of which have been delayed by a series of failed tests.
But Gilday said Thursday that the service remains committed to the program’s success. The Army will be the first company to deploy the missile next year, while the Navy plans to put the missile on a destroyer in 2025 and on a fast attack submarine in 2028.
Source: www.cnn.com
