Massive ray guns that use microwaves to instantaneously down a swarm of incoming enemy drones are approaching prime-time reality, and could propel New Mexico into a leadership role in the next wave of modern defense technology.
The Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base is leading an effort to move such weapons out of the lab and into the hands of war fighters, with help from industry partners like Raytheon Missile Systems’ Ktech division in Albuquerque.
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The military has concentrated in recent years on advancing laser weapons for fighter aircraft, Navy ships and Army vehicles. But alongside that work, the Air Force lab in Albuquerque has done extensive research and development for decades on microwave, or high-power electromagnetic technology, to build systems that could add another layer of defense alongside lasers and conventional missiles and explosives – ones that would destroy enemy systems without harming civilians or infrastructure.