The Royal Navy are to test energy directed weapons before the decade is over First Sea Lord Admiral Sir George Zambellas has announced at DSEi as part of his key note speech.
The Admiral said the Navy was working with industry on a “directed energy weapon” with the goal of demonstrating it at sea before 2020.
It is also understood from the speech that the Royal Navy have exchange officers working on a railgun system with the US Navy. The United States Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division demonstrated an 8 MJ railgun firing 3.2 kg (7.1 lb) projectiles in October 2006 as a prototype of a 64 MJ weapon to be deployed aboard US Navy warships.
Admiral Zambellas said:
“Energy weapons don’t require conventional ammunition. With a cost-per-shot potentially measured in pence rather than pounds, they offer a route to address the spiralling cost of missile development and production – as well as reducing supply chain demands.
Technology is our ticket to being the best – operationally and strategically. It will give us the advantage, hold the Royal Navy’s place in the premier league of navies in a dangerous and uncertain world.”
The US navy have already demonstrated the use of a laser to damage unmanned aircraft and small vessels. The USS Ponce features LaWS, Laser Weapon System, a directed energy weapon that was installed on USS Ponce for field testing in 2014. The United States Navy reported the LaWS system works as expected and that the commander of the Ponce is authorised to use the system as a defensive weapon. The Royal Navy hopes to build on that experience.
allways last to the table,defence in this countrys a joke,shell of wehat maggie had
Ridiculous comment Andrew. How can being the second Navy after the US to potentially operate these weapons be “last to the table”? Unless you think we are at war with the USA?
Hi Andrew, not quite sure that the second country to develop this kind of technology can be called “last to the table”, especially when it was instrumental in co-developing the capability in the first place.
us department of defence pay the bill for bae to built the rail gun and the lazer a british multi national company but where is the uk goverment here,too busy giveing away our money to forein aid and the eu and illigal immigrants unwanted whilst our forces suffer the nasvy the most
Would this stop North Korea’s nuclear weapons?
We have plenty of anti-icbm tech, yes this probably could, but so could a lot of weapons that we already have
The UK doesn’t operate any anti-ICBM weaponry.
What about aster?
Aster 30 being the newest missile capable of ballistic missile defence?
Aster 30 isn’t capable of intercepting ICBMs and the T45 doesn’t currently have sensors capable of tracking without upgrades
isn’t that the whole point of the aster 30?
also do the U.S. Have anti- icmb tech?
No, it’s not. Aster 30 is long range fleet defence.
Yes they do.
A phaser?!!
Could that weapon heat my meat and potato pie from 3 miles away ?
Could heat your meat and two veg from the other side of the world
Nice
Joe Beauchamp