US Vs China Lasers and Railguns
Author: R. E. D. Dot RED DOT PUBLICATIONS
Publisher:
Published: 2017-12-17
Total Pages: 114
ISBN-13: 9781973568674
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis report provides background information and issues for Congress on three potential new weapons that could improve the ability of Navy surface ships to defend themselves against enemy missiles--solid state lasers (SSLs), the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG), and the hypervelocity projectile (HVP). Any one of these new weapon technologies, if successfully developed and deployed, might be regarded as a "game changer" for defending Navy surface ships against enemy missiles. If two or three of them are successfully developed and deployed, the result might be considered not just a game changer, but a revolution. Rarely has the Navy had so many potential new types of surface-ship missile-defense weapons simultaneously available for development and potential deployment. Although the Navy in recent years has made considerable progress in developing SSLs, EMRG, and HVP, a number of significant development challenges remain. The HPV, in particular, has emerged as a program of particular interest to the Department of Defense (DOD), which is exploring the potential for using the weapon across multiple U.S. military services.For the United States, decades of technology investments in directed energy weapons--lasers, railguns and high power microwave--are finally nearing the point of providing "next generation" capabilities over potential enemies. Effective early defensive laser weapons plus defensive-offensive railguns could be deployed in the early 2020s, while multi-platform high power but compact laser weapons could be realized in the 2030s. However, it appears increasingly likely that any period of advantage from these weapons could be shorter than expected due to China's large investments in energy weapons development. As in many areas of advanced military technology development, it is difficult to assess precisely China's successes or progress toward the fielding of energy weapons. While Chinese military transparency has improved gradually in some areas, with few exceptions, it does not approach that of the U.S. in energy weapons.1 "Grey Sources" can provide some insights but they do not allow for a full understanding of potential threats.