Watch Raytheon’s Counter-UAV Microwave Technology Performance

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

Raytheon and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory worked together under a $2 million contract to test and demonstrate high-power microwave, counter-UAV technologies. Their efforts bore fruit when US military and industry leaders gathered at MFIX Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment to demonstrate ways to bridge the Army’s capability gaps in long-range fires and maneuver short-range air defense.

One of the major highlights was when 45 unmanned aerial vehicles and drones fell out of the sky, downed by Raytheon’s advanced high-power microwave and laser dune buggy. The exercise was held at the U.S. Army Fires Center of Excellence in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

The directed energy system emits an adjustable energy beam that, when aimed at airborne targets such as drones, renders them unable to fly, according to raytheon.com.

Highlights included Raytheon’s high-power microwave system engaged multiple UAV swarms, downing 33 drones, two and three at a time. Also demonstrated was Raytheon’s high energy laser, or HEL, system which identified, tracked, engaged and downed 12 airborne, maneuvering Class I and II UAVs, and destroyed six stationary mortar projectiles.

“The speed and low cost per engagement of directed energy is revolutionary in protecting our troops against drones,” said Dr. Thomas Bussing, Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems vice president. “We have spent decades perfecting the high-power microwave system, which may soon give our military a significant advantage against this proliferating threat.”