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DTIC ADA478165: Directed Energy Weapons

Directed energy continues to offer promise as a transformational game changer as the Department of Defense (DOD) encounters new asymmetric and disruptive threats, while facing increasingly sophisticated traditional challenges. Yet years of investment have not resulted in any current operational high-energy laser capability. In addition, the single high-energy laser program of record, the Airborne Laser (ABL) for boost phase missile defense, continues to experience delays and potential budget reductions. There is a strong belief in the directed energy community, and in segments of the warfighter and force-provider communities, that high- power microwave (HPM) offers capabilities in anti-sensor applications and as non-lethal weapons. Still, HPM advancement has been limited by uncertainty about its effects and effectiveness. Years of major investment in chemical lasers has produced megawatt-class systems that could have a wide range of applications. However, size, weight, and logistics issues limit them to integration on large platforms, such as the 747 used for the ABL program, or fixed ground applications such as the Ground-Based Laser for Space Control. As a consequence, interest i

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