 
MILNET Brief Weapons for 2025 - 2/10/2005 "For non-state actors such as terrorist
organizations, drug cartels,
or organized crime syndicates, the LOV [locus of value] may be their
leadership...Knowing what to attack has always been difficult, and it
will become harder..."
- Hit 'em Where It Hurts: Strategic Attack in 2025, Air University White Paper for Vision 2025, 1997 |
| Acronym |
Meaning |
Description |
| DL |
Directed Light
(Incoherent) |
The use of space based optical collectors and
mirrors to focus solar produced light down on the earth for
battlefield illumination, temperature changes in a small area, or even
burning or melting of enemy gear |
| SBL |
Space Based Laser |
A space-based system which aims an extremely
high power laser on ground or atmospheric targets from various orbit
altitudes. This technology can illuminate the battlefield with
visible or near infrared light (picking a wavelength only our soldiers
know and in which they can don special vision gear to allow only them
to
see the illuminated battlefield), alter temperatures in a small area,
or also melt or burn an enemy's gear. This category includes
space-based (parked in space, also known as space-earth geometry),
space-borne (carried into space) or ground-based (laser emanates from a
ground station and is reflected by mirrors to its target back on the
ground, also known as earth-space-earth geometry). |
| HPM |
High Power Microwave |
Also known as HPMW, the use of multi-megawatt or
gigwatt class microwaves to raise temperatures in small areas or to
deliver a focused and directed equivalent of an electromagnetic pulse
(EMP) using non-nuclear weapons means. |
| EMP |
ElectroMagnetic Pulse |
Discovered in early atmospheric testing, the EMP
effect can be created by using a nuclear blast high in the atmosphere
(60 miles up will create an EMP effect on the ground covering an area
about half the size of the United States!). A conventional
version using semi-directional methodologies is much more likely and
work progresses in that area. |
| KEW |
Kinetic Energy Weapon |
KEWs are also found in artillery rounds or small
missiles of various types such as tank killer shoulder fire or tank
fired rockets, however a space-based or space-borne weapon has the
unique advantage of Mach 25 entry into the atmosphere where slowing
down is a consideration instead of trying to speed up to Mach 6 or more
to effect high energy displacement (armor and the warhead both react on
impact like liquids at those velocities). This category of weapon
also includes a rather novel approach of simply throwing large items
down at your enemy, assuming you can steer and control them well enough
to prevent fratricide -- think of big rocks the size of large
house or a series of container ship containers being dropped onto a
convoy of tanks. |
| BM |
Ballistic Missile |
An older idea, the ballistic missile is still
king in terms of deliverable "throw weight" and accuracies achievable
in 2025 continue to make this technology extremely useful. |
| NPB |
Neutral Particle Beam |
Much different than lasers, this beam is
produced by ion stripping and is neutrally charged, making it less
susceptible to atmospheric conditions, the earth's magnetic field, and
penetrates deep into enemy equipment or personnel. It has the
disadvantage of being required to loiter over the target as it cannot
be
reflected around like lasers. |
| ILL |
Illusion |
Don't laugh, there will come a time when
holographs might be used to decoy or distract enemies on the
battlefield, projected from space-based or space-borne
projectors. An adjunct to this area is conformal camouflage that
alters the reflective properties of aircraft or ground equipment to
100% mimic that which lies under or over the equipment rendering
it invisible to the naked eye. |
DTIC Thesaurus: High energy lasers, such as continuous wave, repetitively pulsed, and single pulse, for tactical and strategic applications; Charged and neutral particle beam weapons. Includes energy generators, beam handling and control, target effects and countermeasures.
Directed Energy [DE]: (DOD) An umbrella term covering technologies that relate to the production of a beam of concentrated electromagnetic energy or atomic or subatomic particles. [1]
Directed Energy Device: (DOD) A system using directed energy primarily for a purpose other than as a weapon. Directed-energy devices may produce effects that could allow the device to be used as a weapon against certain threats, for example, laser rangefinders and designators used against sensors that are sensitive to light. [1]
Directed-Energy Protective Measures: (DOD) That division of directed-energy warfare involving actions taken to protect friendly equipment, facilities, and personnel to ensure friendly effective uses of the electromagnetic spectrum that are threatened by hostile directed-energy weapons and devices. [1]
Directed-Energy Warfare: (DOD) Military action involving the use of directed-energy weapons, devices, and countermeasures to either cause direct damage or destruction of enemy equipment, facilities and personnel, or to determine, exploit, reduce, or prevent hostile use of the electromagnetic spectrum through damage, destruction, and disruption. It also includes actions taken to protect friendly equipment, facilities, and personnel and retain friendly use of the electromagnetic spectrum. Also called DEW. [1]
Directed-Energy Weapon [DEW]: (DOD) A system using directed energy primarily as a direct means to damage or destroy enemy equipment, facilities, and personnel. [1]
Electromagnetic Interference [EMI]: (DOD) Any electromagnetic disturbance that interrupts, obstructs, or otherwise degrades or limits the effective performance of electronics/electrical equipment. It can be induced intentionally, as in some forms of electronic warfare, or unintentionally, as a result of spurious emissions and responses, intermodulation products, and the like. [1]
Electromagnetic Pulse [EMP]: (DOD) The electromagnetic radiation from a nuclear explosion caused by Compton-recoil electrons and photoelectrons from photons scattered in the materials of the nuclear device or in a surrounding medium. The resulting electric and magnetic fields may couple with electrical/electronic systems to produce damaging current and voltage surges. May also be caused by nonnuclear means. [1]
Free Electron Lasers [FEL]: High-energy lasers in which the relativistic electron beam energy is converted into optical energy. [2]
High Power Microwave [HPM] Weapons: Energy generated by a conventional electromagnetic apparatus, such as a radar transmitter, or released from a conventional explosion converted into a ratio-frequency weapon which causes the disruption of electronic systems. Usually an ultra-wide ban source focus due to target vulnerability considerations. HPMs can also cause human unconsciousness without permanent maiming by upsetting the neural pathways in the brain and/or death. [3]
Non-Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse [NNEMP] Weapons: Non-nuclear EMP generating weapons mounted on cruise missiles or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which would disable enemy tanks and early warning radars would be invaluable. Such weapons when they explode would produce a momentary blast of microwaves powerful enough to disable all but special, radiation-hardened electronic devices. [3]
Particle Beam Weapons [PBW]: Nonnuclear weapons using a stream of high velocity particles or atomic or subatomic particles, excluding simulators for nuclear weapons-provided effects. [2]
Radio Frequency [RF] Weapons: A class of weapons which transmit short, high-powered pulses of electromagnetic radiation over significant ranges. [3]
Thermal Gun: A device that directs energy to produce heat, in concept similar to a microwave oven. [3]
"Unfiltered by the atmosphere, the sun provides an enormous flux of normal (incoherent) light in near-earth orbit...Currently, this vast power source is tapped with solar arrays to power satellites. It is conceivable that large focusing mirrors equipped with pointing and tracking and maneuvering systems could be placed in orbit to intercept and redirect solar energy onto the battlefield. Single, very large mirrors (on the order of kilometers in diameter) or large arrays of smaller mirrors working in concert would be needed to make this concept useful. Even in LEO orbit, these mirrors would need very high pointing and tracking accuracies to qualify as precision aimed weapons.The system envisioned has huge technology risks and costs, most of which involve the large structure's lift, assembly and maintenance in space. Like Hubbell, the system must carefully protect the optics from attack or simply space debris, and of course there are the usual in-orbit stabilization and aiming problems the Strategic Defense Initiative folks ran into. In fact, this idea is an idea that may have had its genesis during the early years of SDI. In any case, the author believes that if the structural and stabilization problems can be overcome, this technology is viable for 2025.
Optical systems (primarily collecting apertures) currently under study have been limited artificially to a size of four meters for potential launch on the space shuttle. The optical substrates are made from ultralow-expansion, right glasses as as Zerodur that are made lightweight with acid-etching techniques. Larger, still lightweight structures could potentially be made from advanced aerogel materials, advanced ceramics (such as SiC), engineered composites, structurally supported optically coated plastics, suspended or spun reflective liquids (a liquid mirror), or inflatable mirrors (reflective films on inflatable substrate). All these approaches have been demonstrated at the earth's surface with structures measured in feet or at most a few meters.
The most likely incoherent light weapon would consist of an orbiting array of mirrors in the 10-to 100-meter class. With the proper constellation, the orbiting mirrors could intercept and redirect sunlight onto the earth's surface. The simplest use of the system would be to provide battlefield illumination on demand. Depending on the area illuminated, useful illumination could be provided by one to a 100 mirrors operating in concert. By focusing the light from many mirrors onto a single spot or series of spots, battlefield temperature could be raised (a potential form of weather modification) and optical sensors (including human eyes) could be temporarily blinded. Emergency electrical power could be "beamed" to lightweight solar panels erected to intercept the redirect sunlight. To achieve more permanent effects, such as melting, as many as 100 mirrors might need to point and track on a signal hardened target for a period ranging from several tens to hundreds of seconds. Spotlight beams from a few mirrors could also be used to aid search and rescue or special operations mission at at night. Incoherent light weapon systems are limited in the rate at which they cause permanent damage by the fact that incoherent light, unlike coherent light (laser) light, cannot be focused onto extremely small spots." 2
"Lasers can be built as either continuous wave (CW) or pulsed devices. "CW laser effects are generally described in terms of power density on target; pulsed laser effects are described in terms of energy density on target. Although significant advances in this technology by both Ballistic Missile Defense Office (SDIO/BMDO) and the USAF Phillips Laboratory Airborne Laser (ABL) organizations, laser technology still needs further development. To date [circa 1997 - MILNET], ground-based chemical lasers have been built in the megawatt class (the ALPHA laser). Phillips Laboratory is also developing a hundred kilowatt-class short wave CW chemical laser (SWCL) based on the oxygen-iodine chemical system. Weapons-class pulsed lasers have also been built, but primarily for effects and materials research.
CW Lasers
"For the space-earth geometry, multimegawatt power is required for a CW weapons laser, and hundreds of thousands of joules of energy per pulses is required for a pulsed weapons laser (depends on pulse length and pulse repetition frequency). Total power or energy requirements are correspondingly higher for the earth-space-earth geometry; Constellations employing only a few space platofrms (e.g., laser station for the space-earth geometry, laser mirrors for the earth-space-earth geometry) would have to compensate for the long slant ranges and correspondingly higher-atmospheric distortion by using even more powerful beams. Lasers are not all-weather systems. The laser wevelength, and therefore the laser gain medium and optics train, must be carefully chosen to permit good atmospheric propagation. Clouds absorb and scatter laser light, removing power from the beam and distorting the beam's "footprint".
"...For visible and near infrared lasers, frequencies under study for use at long range, optics in the four to 20 meter diameter should suffice for a system in low earth orbit.
"...To achieve the status of a precision-aimed weapon, laser weapon systems will require extremely high levels of pointing and tracking accuracies for systems in low earth orbit. It has, however, not yet been proven that large structures in earth orbit can be stabilized to the necessary levels. This is a challenge of particular importance for a distributed laser weapon system consisting of an earth-based laser and a constellation of space-based mirrors. In this scenario, the laser beam must be relayed by several space mirrors before it reaches some targets."
"Adaptive optics techniques have been developed to correct atmospheric distortions to low-power laser beam projected from earth to space and back again. Adaptive optics systems developed to date depend primarily on deformable mirrors -- mirrors with small acuators that change the mirror's shape to pre-compensate the beam and correct anticipated or pre-measured distortions. Further advances will be required in this technology, both in terms of bandwidth and number/size of actuators, to make this technology work for weapons class lasers. Current advances in microelectromechanical machines (MEMS) and nanotechnology show great promise in this area.
"At low power, laser beams can be used as battlefield illumination devices, but with a potential added benefit over incoherent illumination. Using an invisible laser beam (near infrared) at a specifically chosen wavelength and special tuned vision devices similar to night-vision goggles, one could render the battlefield visible only to friendly troops. At low to medium power, laser beams can be used to designate targets from space, blind sensors in the laser's optical band, ignite exposed flammable objects, raise the temperature in localized regions (possible weather modification effect) perform as an emergency high-bandwidth laser communication system, and serve as a laser probe for active remote-sensing systems. At slightly higher powers, the enhanced heating produced by the laser can be used t upset sensitive electronics (temporarily or permanently), damage sensors and antenna arrays, ignite some containerized flammable and explosive materials, and sever exposed power and communications lines. The full power beam can melt or vaporize virtually any target, given enough exposure time. With precise targeting information (accuracy of inches) and beam pointing and tracking stability, a full power beam can successfully attack ground or airborne targets by melting or cracking cockpit canopies, burning through control cables, exploding fuel tanks, melting or burning sensor assemblies and antenna arrays, exploding or melting munitions pods, destroying ground communications and power grids, and melting or burning a large variety of strategic targets (e.g. dams, industrial and defense facilities, and munitions factories) -- all in a fraction of a second.
Pulsed Lasers
"Pulsed lasers can also produce additional effects based on their ability to deliver rapidly a large amount of energy in a small amount of time. Weapons-class pulsed lasers can vaporize target surfaces so rapidly that an effect very like a rocket firing occurs. In essence, the target experiences a shove or impulse with every laser pulse. If a strong enough impulse is delivered, the laser can discriminate between valid air or space-borne targets and lightweight decoys. If the impulse can be delivered at an object's resonant frequency, cracking and breaking will occur. Similarly, a pulsed laser trained on an object at the proper pulse-repetition frequency can stimulate infrasound vibrations, a potential from of nonlethal force projection that disrupts a target with penetrating, low-frequency oscillations.
"Perhaps more significantly, the large space-based mirrors of a distributed laser weapon system (laser is ground based) can also be used as a high-quality, passive remote-sensing system. By training ground-based, high power optical telescopes on the mirrors, America's "eyes" can literally be carried to every corner of the earth. Cued by a broader area search, this capability could be the primary surveillance, battle damage assessment, and targeting system for the laser space-strike weapon, or a valuable adjunct to America's existing national technical means. With a large constellation of space-based mirrors in LEO, America's opponents cold literally never be sure when they are being watched, closing the existing coverage gaps. Rather than depending on a few large, expensive assets that will inevitably become tempting targets, we can protect our surveillance and reconnaissance capability by increasing the number of "eyes" in orbit. 2
This paper also acknowledges the stabilization and construction problems but appears to assume these can be resolved by 2025."Ground Based DEW (With space-borne mirrors)
"Constructing a DEW on the ground and deploying targeting mirrors in space is the more flexible option. Having the source of energy on the ground means the laser energy will not be limited by satellite power, or by available [i.e. limited fuel storage containers in space vehicles - MILNET]. The large targeting mirrors, built with lightweight structures, could employ wave front compensation to correct for optical imperfections." 1
"A Neutral Particle Beam (NPB) weapon produces a beam of near-light-speed-neutral atomic particles by subjecting hydrogen or deuterium gas to an enormous electrical charge. The electrical charge produces negatively charged ions that are accelerated through a long vacuum tunnel by an electrical potential in the hundreds-of-megavolt range. At the end of the tunnel, electrons are stripped from the negative ions, forming the high-speed-neutral atomic particles that are the neutral particle beam. The NPB delivers its kinetic energy directly into the atomic and subatomic structure of the target, literally heating the target from deep within. Charged particle beams (CPB) can be produced in a similar fashion, but they are easily defeated by the earth's magnetic field and their strong electrical charge cause the CPB to diffuse and break apart uncontrollably. Weapons-class NPBs require energies in the hundreds of millions of electron volts and beam powers in the tens of megawatts. Modern devices have not yet reached this level.
"It does not appear feasible to develop an NPB weapon system as a space-based system even by 2025 due to the weight, size, power, and inherent complexity of the NPB. Also, due to line of sight restrictions, the timeliness nd responsiveness would be low to moderate as the weapon waited for the target to move within view 2 [NPB's rapidly lose power when mirrors are used to redirect, or the reflection doesn't work at all - MILNET ]
"An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a sudden, high-intensity burst of broad-band electromagnetic radiation. The range of electromagnetic frequencies present depends on the source of the EMP. The high-altitude airburst of a nuclear weapon produces an intense EMP which, because of the relatively long duration of the explosion, contains strong low-frequency components (below 100Mhz). Conventional EMP devices built with explosively driven, high-power microwave technology produces a less intense, very short (nanoseconds) burst composed primarily of microwave frequencies (100Mhz-100Ghz). The range of the EMP effect depends on the strength of the source, as the initial electromagnetic shock wave propagates away from its source with a continuously decreasing intensity [ inverse square law in physics - MILNET]
"The gamma radiation produced by a fission or fusion bomb interacts with the atmosphere, creating a large region of positive and negative charges by stripping electrons from atmospheric gases. The motion of these charges creates the EMP. The pulse enters all unshielded circuits within range, causing damage ranging from circuit malfunction and memory loss to overheating and melting.
"Military useful EMP can also be created by mating a compact pulsed power source (gigawatt range), an electrical energy converter, and a high-power microwave device such as the "vircator" (virtual cathode oscillator). An advantage of a conventional EMP device is that it can be triggered in a shorter amount of time, thereby putting more output energy into the higher microwave frequencies (above 100Mhz). Since modern electronics operate primarily in these microwave bands, the EMP produced by conventional devices is potentially very effective in shutting down electronics. Explosively pumped EMP devices such as the vircator have another advantage; it is possible to design them to focus their EMP in a particular direction. Even a focused EMP effect produced by a conventional device will probably have a lethal radius measured only in hundreds to thousands of meters, depending upon the strength of the power source and atmospheric absorption (particularly at frequencies above 20 Ghz).
"Finally, the USAF Phillips Laboratory has produced compact plasma toroids with energies. Directed at solid targets, the plasma toroids induce rapid heating at the surface, producing extreme mechanical and thermal shock as well as a burst of X rays. The X-ray burst can also be used to generate EMP. While the theory predicts the toroids will be rapidly dissipated by the atmosphere, there may well be a method of delivering high-energy plasmas to the vicinity of a target that does not involve long paths in air.
"A 100-kiloton burst at an altitude of 60 miles would create damaging EMP over an area equal to half the US, at 300 miles, the same burst would create EMP over an area equal to the entire US plus most of Mexico and Canada. The gamma burst from a (purely hypothetical) micro-yield nuclear device might be used to create a more manageable effect." [right, no can do...so you have to get down and dirty to create an EMP burst that is even somewhat manageable, and now you are into damaging the ground underneath as well from the blast? - MILNET]
"Due to its indiscriminate nature, nuclear-driven EMP is only appropriate in total war scenarios (zero flexibility). The conventional EMP weapon, on the other hand, shows more flexibility in that it could be be directional and its effects could be localized. Both forms of EMP weapons are at least moderate in their timeliness and responsiveness, since an EMP "bomb" could potentially reach its target within 30 minutes after launch (by means of a launch vehicles similar to the modern ICBM). The precision of the EMP weapon is relatively low -- it is generally useful only for area targets (e.g. enemy towns, large facilities, or a squadron of enemy aircraft. The survivability and reliability of EMP weapons are moderate to high, particularly if the weapons themselves are ground based (as the payload of an ICBM or surface launched ballistic missile (SLBM)). Finally, and most unfortunately, the selective lethality of EMP weapons is low. The effect of an EMP burst on any given electrical system is highly unpredictable, since it depends in great detail on the precise geometry of the engagement, the exact design of the electrical system under attack, and even the current state of the atmosphere. In sum, the conventional EMP weapon has very interesting possibilities as a potential future weapon. However, the currently unpredictable lethality, limited flexibility, and questionable precision make it unattractive as the primary component of a space-strike weapon system in 2025." [however, as a possible nuisance or terrorist's weapon, it has high value - MILNET]
"A high-power microwave (HPMW) device also employs electromagnetic radiation as its weapon effect. Not as powerful as nuclear drive EMP weapns, HPMW weapons create a narrower level of microwave electromagnetic radiation by coupling fast, high energy pulsed power supplies to specifically designed microwave antenna arrays. Microwave frequencies (tens of megahertz to tens of gigahertz) are chosen for two reasons; the atmosphere is generally transparent to these frequencies. Unlike most EMP weapons, HPMW weapons produce beams defined by the shape and character of their microwave antenna array. HPMW beams are broader than those produced by NPBs and lasers, and this space-strike weapon system does not require extreme pointing and tracking accuracies. HPMW weapons can be trained on a target for an extended period of time, provided the power supply and HPMW circuitry can withstand the internal currents. As a rough point of comparison, HPMW systems produce 100-1,000 times the output power of modern electronic warfare (EW) systems.
"This light speed weapon can be understood as a "floodlight" that bathes its targets in microwave radiation. More directional and controllable than EMP, the general effect of this weapon on electrical systems is well described in the section on EMP. Unlike conventional EW techniques, the effects of a HPMW weapon system usually persist long after the "floodlight" is turned off (depends on power level employed).
"While many electronic devices can be shielded using the same techniques outlined in the section on EMP weapons, most sensors and high-gain antennas cannot be shielded without preventing them from performing their primary functions.
"A space-based HPMW weapon must have an antenna or array of phased antennas with an area measured in acres to point and focus its beam properly on terrestrial targets. The resources necessary to construct such huge structures could be expensive to lift into orbit, and difficult to assemble in the free-fall [ weightless s- MILNET] environment. Like the NPB, the HPMW weapon is a line of sight [ no mirrors - MILNET] device that must "see" its target before it can fire.
"The level of pulsed, electrical power required to produce weapon-level microwave fluxes is now becoming available (for ground-based systems). Compact, scalable laboratory sources of narrow-band, high-power microwaves have been demonstrated that can produce gigawatts of power for 10 to a few hundred nanoseconds [ more than adequate - MILNET] Ultra-wideband microwave sources are less well developed, but research in this area appears promising. A HPMW weapon should, however, be able to temporarily disrupt circuits and jam microwave communications at low power levels.
A space-strike HPMW system would consist of a constellation of satellites with very large antenna or arrays of antennas. The farther out in space the constellation resides, the fewer the number of satellites required. However, there is a corresponding increased requirement for more power and larger antennas. Another possibility is to overlap "spot" beams from many smaller HPMW satellites on each target, gaining the benefit of high power on centroid (but a very much larger combined spot) at the cost of satellite proliferation. A useful distributed HPMW weapon system of this type might resemble the Iridium or Teledesic constellation of LEO satellites [ communications satellite systems in Low Earth Orbit - MILNET] (many tens of hundreds of satellites, however, and the HPMWs would not be small satellites).
At low powers, the HPMW weapon system is fully capable of jamming communications when pointed at the opponents receiving stations or platforms, in addition to its obvious uses against an enemy's electrical and electronic systems at higher power levels. Since water molecules are also known to absorb certain bands of microwave frequencies, it is also possible a properly designed HPMW weapon system could be used to modify terrestrial weather.
Minute devices, if small enough, could be immune to HPMW weapons simply because microwave frequencies cannot couple enough energy into them to cause damage. ..Optical devices are inherently immune to microwave radiation, although the sections of optical circuits where light is converted back into current still have to be shielded.
The HPMW weapon system is not deemed suitable for space-force applications in 2025." [ Only if you ignore the possibility of hovering over facilities -- this weapon system could be quite effective against non-hardened manufacturing facilities, hideouts, or opponent's bedrooms - MILNET]
"Kinetic Energy Weapons come in two classes related to their velocity -- The Kinetic Energy Penetrator (KEP) and the Hydrodynamic Penetrator (HP).
KEP
The KEP has a maximum impact velocity of 3 kilofeet per second (kfps), about the maximum speed of an SR-71 blackbird. The KEP destroys the target by shattering it with an enormous blow. SInce some areas of a target are more vulnerable to shattering blows than others, precise targeting is necessary for an effective KEP.
HP
The HP has a minimum impact velocity of 8 kfps. When a penetrator strikes a target at this extreme velocity, both target and penetrator react to the collision as if they were fluids (their behavior described by hydrodynamic equations of motion). The impact attacks the molecular composition of the target, spreading dense impact shocks at enormous speed.
"A nagging problem for KEW systems is the heat and shock generated on reentry. This can effect the precise delivery of the weapon. An exciting new concept has been proposed that promises to ameliorate this problem. By concentrating a laser beam in the area immediately in front of the hypervelocity KEW, it is possible to create a laser-supported detonation wave (called an "air spike") that partially shields the KEW. The air spike transforms the normal conical bow shock into a much weaker, parabolic-shaped oblique shock. Researchers estimate that a properly designed air spike could decrease the effects of shock and heat on a hypervelocity object by over 75 percent (making Mach 25 seem like Mach 3)."
Finally, an interesting variation the more conventional KEW concept
involves the use of
meteorites as a weapon.
The authors go on to point out that due to the inflexibility in terms of destruction and inaccuracy of the large house sized objects used as KEW, that they would not be viable. Smaller, more guidance oriented devices have already been proven effective and only funding stands in the way of this weapon system being deployed by 2025. KEPs are part of the controversial National Missile Defense system being implemented by the U.S.. Interestingly, the idea was first proposed publicly by Ronald Reagan and and part of the famous "Star Wars" speech."Naturally occurring meteorite at least the size of large houses (necessary to survive drag-induced heating in the atmosphere) could be intercepted in space and redirected to a terrestrial target. If done with sufficient stealth and subtlety, the impact could even be "plausibly denied" as a natural occurrence. Meteorites 30 feet in diameter could be counted on to generate nuclear weapons sized explosions (20 kilotons), but without the lingering radiation.
A few hundred KEW "storage containers" placed in LEO would make the timeliness and responsiveness very high (within a few minutes). Precision and reliability would also be high. Total destruction would be the only choice, unless used as a demonstration of power."
Meteors can be hundreds of magnitudes more deadly than the KEW. However, there are several significant shortfalls to meteorites as weapons. They are hardly a timely weapon -- the war fighter must patiently wait for nature to deliver his "ammunition". [ or you could go out and mine asteroids and have them handy nearby - MILNET] The uneven shape and heterogeneous composition of meteorites makes it highly unlikely that they can be guided precisely to a target. [ or you could carve them into nice shapes after/as you mine them - MILNET] Since it is also impossible to predict how much of the meteorite will survive the fall from space, meteors are best classified as an area weapons with a very uncertain radius of effect. [ - just drop fifty on the mountain range where Bin Laden is thought to be hiding - MILNET]
Transatmospheric Vehicles (TAVs)From the GLASS paper, we find some rationale for manned missions:
"The TAV would be capable -- from an alert posture -- of arriving at a target anywhere in the world within one hour of notification. Its weapons bay would be modular to allow several different types of weapons for increased flexibility. TAVs returning from a mission could be serviced and ready to fly again in less than a day, and could be surged to fly multiple missions per day if necessary.
"The TAV platform capitalizes on several principles of war. It is offensive, bringing the fight to the enemy on our terms. The TAV provides surprise, striking enemy targets at any depth with little or no warning. Additionally, it delivers massed effects employing precise firepower. Just the F-117 carrying PGMs [Precision Guided Munitions - MILNET] delivered on the principles of mass and economy of force during the Gulf War, the TAV will take this one step further. This platform accomplishes multiple attacks over a diverse target set during a single mission. Ultimately, with the appropriate weapons load, it can engage targets in separate major regional contingencies during a single mission. In short, the TAV provides a timely threat to strategic targets anywhere on the globe.
"The vehicle must be designed to incorporate a modular weapon system. This concept increases effectiveness by allowing the TAV to be used for a variety of military missions from force enhancement through force application. These weapons modules are maintained in readiness, stored until needed, and then quickly loaded on the vehicle. 1
"Flexible response is best provided with a small CONUS-based fleet of TAVs [TransAtmospheric Vehicles - MILNET] equipped with a variety of payloads, including kinetic-energy weapons, compact laser weapons, and special forces squads. Responding within a few hours of notification, a TAV can precisely deliver forces and/or adaptable human judgment to crisis locations anywhere on earth.
"...The class of platforms called "space-borne" platforms is the most flexible, since it can potentially begin is operation under direct human control within the terrestrial environment (on land, sea, or in the air). Servicing and maintenance are less difficult for such platforms, because they can be held within the confines of sovereign US territory. Their vulnerability is also reduced because they can be made highly maneuverable much more easily than a space-based system."
"...makes the argument for a manned space-borne platform called a TAV, the "Black Horse." The biggest advantage of the manned TAV is that it is probably the most flexible platform yet proposed for space operation simply because it is under the continuous control of a human. Given an appropriate design, the manned TAV could be quickly reconfigured to deliver special operations teams, high-value equipment and supplies, or a wide variety of munitions (in much the the same fashion as a high-speed bomber). Most important of all -- the TAV can put a few well-trained people at the site of a developing conflict anywhere on Earth within 60 minutes from launch.
"The most important disadvantage of space-borne platforms is their relative lack of responsiveness. A TAV can reach anywhere on earth within 40 minutes once it has reached orbit, but this cannot compare with a speed-of-light attack from a directed energy weapon in orbit above a target. If a space-borne platform is not already hovering "near station", this single disadvantage may be fatal in an era when response times have improved to minutes or even seconds." 2
DL=Directed Light (Incoherent)
SBL = Space Based Laser (coherent)
TAV= TransAtmospheric Vehicle (manned)
HPM = High Power Microwave
EMP = ElectroMagnetic Pulse (nuclear or conventional derived)
KEW = Kinetic Energy Weapons (fast or massive)
BM = Ballistic Missile (ICBM or SLBM)
NPB = Neutral Particle Beam
ILL = Illusion (White Light Holograms)
"The problems of the next decade are to identify the relevant database, to devise methods for collecting, analyzing, and correlating them, and to construct the needed communications an distribution architectures...Advanced AI is required to correlate the mountain of unorganized data located throughout the information domain.
"Current target acquisition systems for strategic attack depend heavily on sensors that only provide image data from the infrared and visual spectrums. Having different types of sensors in 2025 provide complementary data for the AI network to analyze and helps detect an adversary's LOVs." (see, hear, smell, taste, and touch -- or equivalents)
Smelling Sensors.
"In 2025, olfactory sensors will be similar in size to microscopic hearing sensors. Unlike the LIDAR system that detects signatures of aerosol clouds, smelling sensors can detect the actual chemicals themselves. Organic thin film coatings on tiny platforms will contain prefabricated "molecular buckets" to trap suspected chemical molecules. If the chemical is present, the bucket fill up, changing the organic property of the platform. When irradiated by ultraviolet or X-ray energy, these organic changes can be scanned and analyzed by overhead sensors.
"Another novel smelling technology available in 2025 involves tracking humans via genetically-linked body odors. These odors, undetectable by the human nose, can be sensed by bundles of sensors that then transmit the data to the neural network portion of the Delphi database. Since each sensor reacts differently to chemical compounds, specific compounds can be identified. If it is possible to get an odor sample of an enemy leader, then olfactory sensors could be used to detect and track the human LOV." [ or target with a seeker type weapon - MILNET].
Tasting Sensors:
"Sensors that transmit data after tasting an LOV can provide discriminating clues for the Delphi database in 2025. Tasting sensors can be prefabricated to detect--and attach to--certain types of surfaces, similar to the way smelling sensors have prefabricated molecule buckets. A variety of tiny taste sensors could be dispersed on an LOV, and then irradiated and scanned to gather data. Taste sensors designed to detect aluminum would stick to aluminum aircraft wings but fall off wooden decoys. Other sensors could taste buildings or vehicles for radioactive fallout, chemical residues, or biological agents.
"If sensors can be designed to attach to specific compounds in 2025, they can be designed to attach to specific people. Like prickly cockleburs, tiny sensors would cling to certain humans, effectively tagging them for continuous tracking via overhead platforms. If a human LOV cannot be tagged specifically, certain items common to that person, like vehicles and clothing, could be tagged for tracking. Possessing the ability to detect and track a human LOV adds greater flexibility to the strategic attack process." 1
"The targets identified for strategic attack vary widely based on the adversary and the situation , and require a diverse arsenal of capability. This arsenal must include means to affect hard and soft LOVs directly/or indirectly, using lethal or nonlethal power, and within an immediate to indefinite time frame. Futuristic engagement systems and technique such as holographic projection, noise and gravity fields, biomedical operations, psychological operations, military deception, and information attack are all possible." 1