Boeing to build prototype pulsed-microwave robomissile

I wonder if this has something to do with the recent reports that Boeing has repackaged thier UCAV and this type of weapon systems makes sence. However, powering such a beast is another issue. Perhaps they have made a breakthrough?

According to Boeing, the company's "Phantom Works" advanced projects facility will develop a special prototype aircraft to carry microwave energy weapon tech developed by the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). This will be a tech demonstrator effort for AFRL's Counter-electronics High power microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP).

"This demonstrator will provide a revolutionary, nonlethal system, allowing the military to neutralize specific targets while minimizing or eliminating collateral damage," said Keith Coleman of the Phantom Works.

"HPM is truly a game-changing technology and we are proud to play a role in its transition to the warfighter."
www.theregister.co.uk...

also

www.bizjournals.com...


[edit on 5/18/09 by FredT]

Interesting.

As for powering it - I'm sure it could be accomplished on a generic platform like the B-52 or a modified commercial liner - something capable of high-altitude flight and long loiter times, while carrying a payload and having substantial room for an antenna.

You're just powering a short pulse - your most critical part will be a storage bank of capacitors (or possibly a superconductor). That relative technology is advancing quite well - so it will not be a problem by time the craft were to have its design finalized and enter production.

Honestly? I'd rather have a kinetic interceptor or some kind of plasma-yield weapon.

reply to post by Aim64C


A B-52 would be a good platform but..... I suspect that given the range of such weapons the BUFF would not be able to survive in the tactical environment you would need to be in to make this work.

Now a stealthy UCAV combined with this and you would have one hell of a SEAD platform.

I image for the future they would ideally like to get the power plant down to as compact a design as possible. Merge that with a VLO UCAV body and you have a persistent, long range, on demand EMP CAP. Think of the force multiplying effect that would have. You could essentially continuously blanket an area by rotating units in and out. Both the F-22 and F-35 have built in capability and capacity to guide and command future UCAV's on the scene over hostile territory. As AESA becomes the standard in the USAF/USN/USMC even traditional kinetic kill only platforms will have electronic warfare capability. And as we saw with the Israelis (they got those special G550s from the US), the ability to infiltrate closed loop ground surveillance and computer networks wirelessly from a distance, is possible. We're creating a situation where the traditional model of SEAD/DEAD is being expanded and modified. The future will not be a systems based approach, it will be an effect based approach. The variety of new assets and slew of new capability will allow a host of systems to fulfill a desired role and achieve a desired effect.

Some might recall RAND's study a while back about how the Chinese would win in the Pacific, based on numbers alone. That study took into account only offensive kinetic means. This is too simplistic an approach.

[edit on 21-5-2009 by WestPoint23]