DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTION AND SUPPLY OF TECHNICAL RECONNAISSANCE MEANS.
The US Department of Defense continues to focus on tactical laser weapons.
At a 1996 symposium of representatives of the US defense industry, many of the presentations by its participants reflected the continuing interest of military circles in expanding the applications of tactical lasers, not limiting them to rangefinders and target designation devices.
The program for the development of new applications includes the creation of more advanced laser countermeasure systems and laser anti-missile systems.
It is characteristic that in a number of new The industry's proposals do not differentiate between «non-lethal» and «lethal» laser weapons.
The proposed new systems are based on the use of two new laser devices, which have been assigned designations in accordance with military classification. These are the AN/PLQ-5 portable laser countermeasure system and the AN/VLQ-7STINGRAY tactical laser defense system.
The STINGRAY system uses a low-energy laser to detect targets and counter enemy optics.
One operational scenario used to train US Army infantry students describes the STINGRAY system as follows: «It is a controllable laser countermeasure system mounted on a lead combat vehicle (tank, armored personnel carrier, air defense vehicle, helicopter, or unmanned aerial vehicle).
It supports and complements conventional weapons by detecting enemy lines and interfering with friendly fire.
An enemy that enters the STINGRAY system's effective range is deprived of the ability to accurately fire at the lead vehicle, giving its crew time to engage multiple enemy targets with effective combat weapons.
According to industry sources, two modified STINGRAY systems mounted on Bradley fighting vehicles saw combat in the Persian Gulf in 1991.
These vehicles, manned by well-trained crews, were delivered to the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division ten days before ground combat operations began.
The STINGRAY program emphasized that they should not be used as an offensive weapon in a conflict.
They were used to locate enemy combat targets, against which other military means were then used.
In 1994, Martin Marietta (USA) announced the development of two new vehicle-mounted STINGRAY systems, created under the Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) program.
The current status of these developments indicates that they will be transferred from the ATD program to the «Armed Forces of the 21st Century» (Task Force 21) program. This will allow the ground forces to conduct «additional field evaluation of the STINGRAY concept.»
The work carried out by Martin Marietta to improve the STINGRAY system resulted in the development of a prototype of a new system, which was given the name OUTRIDER. According to a representative of one government agency, up to 50% of the technologies of the STINGRAY system can be used in the OUTRIDER system, which will provide significant cost savings.
This transition of technologies is possible due to their modular architecture. These are modules such as a laser node, electronic units, personnel training devices and software packages.
Martin Marietta is using its own internal resources, as well as many additional instruments and components, to develop the OUTRIDER prototype system.
The system is a stabilized platform containing a forward-looking infrared sensor, a high-sensitivity low-light television camera, and electro-optical target acquisition and countermeasure instruments.
The U.S. government has provided funding to integrate the OUTRIDER prototype with the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), and Martin Marietta has demonstrated its completed system at two trade shows.
According to industry representatives, the primary value of the OUTRIDER-equipped HMMWV is to enhance frontline troops, especially assault and reconnaissance teams, by providing them with reliable sensors that can locate targets and transmit data and images of them digitally to higher command.
In addition, with a slight modification, the system can be used for laser target designation for guided weapons from first-echelon magshin.
The laser subsystem of the OUTRIDER system creates an effective countermeasure to the enemy's electro-optical means in offensive operations.
In particular, it can disrupt the operation of its fire control systems, which will increase the survivability of advanced combat units.
In the combat vehicle, the OUTRIDER system operator occupies the right rear seat.
In front of it are a multi-function display panel, a video monitor, and controls used by the operator.
The instrument panel, located to the left of the operator, contains system status indicators, power supply controls, and a laser weapon control keyboard.
Enhancements to the OUTRIDER system include the integration of an inertial navigation system and a global positioning system (GPS), which will allow future users to detect enemy targets and report them as grid coordinates.
According to Army sources, the government formed a joint task force in 1995 to review the Operational Requirements Document (ORD) for the OUTRIDER system (or a similar system).
Representatives from the Army Infantry School and the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) participate in the work of this task force.
One of the issues being considered by this group is the degree to which the requirements for the OUTRIDER and STINGRAY systems can be desirable.
In addition to the OUTRIDER system, it has been reported that TRW (USA) is developing the GARDIAN (General ARea Defense Integrated Antimissile) laser system — an integrated anti-missile defense system for large areas. The GARDIAN development program means that this system does not belong to the «non-lethal» weapons.
Developed based on the concept of «the need to be ahead in the field of laser weapons», the GARDIAN system uses a high-energy chemical laser to protect military installations from low-flying aircraft or tactical missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
According to TRW representatives, the system's concept is based on the use of advanced chemical laser technology, which was developed in the 1980s under the US Navy's MIRACL program — the creation of an advanced chemical laser in the mid-infrared range (Mid-infrared Advanced Chemical Laser).
The GARDIAN system uses a chemical reaction of deuterium and fluorine molecules to generate a laser beam which is then focused on a moving target, creating a high temperature at a specific point on the target and essentially burning a hole in that spot.
The advantages of the system include: very short reaction time (the laser is ready for action within seconds and continues to fire until the target is completely destroyed); high flash repetition rate (up to 60 flashes per minute); the cost of hitting a single target is a small fraction of the cost of hitting it with existing missile systems.
Currently, the GARDIAN system remains a concept «proposed to the US Army».
The emergence of such concepts confirms the possibility of developing laser technologies in the direction of moving from the area of »non-lethal» to the area of »lethal». weapons.
The legal and ethical possibilities of such a transition are still to be clarified.