The Pentagon is tasking the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a drone shield based on a laser system that can defend America from military drones.
Secret Anti-Drone Laser Weapons
National security analysts predict that the miniature unmanned armed vehicles will proliferate in the world and DARPA has issued requests for designs of an anti-drone laser shield in order to prepare for future combat. DARPA aims to create a new anti-drone weapon by the year 2020 and lasers might be the best choice, according to Popular Science.
The anti-drone shield project is called "Mobile Force Protection" by DARPA. The military agency has put out a request for information in order to select mobile, flexible, new layered defense systems and technologies that can be used to improve protection against drone threats.
The agency is looking particularly for those ideas that could materialize on the combat field within the next three to four years, and can evolve rapidly with tactic advancements. Along with an omnipresent death laser system, other ideas include overriding a drone's flight controls, catching drones in a massive fishing net or having them be caught by a special purpose drone.
According to Sputnik News, the omnipresent death laser under development by Pentagon and DARPA could shield America from a Star Wars styled drone invasion. The project might be a defense reaction to Russia's recent successful testing of the 7,680MPH hypersonic glider. Important advancements in glider technology were also made by India and China.
Besides being able to destroy drones, the secret laser shield might also be able to destroy conventional threats such as mortar, artillery and rockets. Given the need to also address various conventional threats, it seems that DARPA is indeed looking especially for a highly sophisticated laser system and other alternative ideas are off the table.
Laser weaponry is already under extensive research and development by the American defense community and the U.S. Army, Air Force and Navy have all deployed field various laser systems on the field that could be upgraded to fit the demands of the DARPA request. The Marine Corps is actually already being involved in actively experimenting with a laser-type weapon deployed on an anti-drone truck.
