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While technology has continued to evolve, most weapon systems modern militaries use operate on old principles. A artillery piece is a world removed from a Napoleonic cannon, but the idea of detonating a charge behind a projectile in a tube in order to propel it in the direction of something you don't like - that remains the same.

For decades, Governments have also been investing in trying to develop systems that operate in very different ways - including directed energy weapons like lasers and High Powered Microwave weapons (HPM). And for decades - very little emerged in terms of deployable, destructive systems.

But on a battlefield increasingly dominated by cheap and precise threats such as loitering munitions, FPV drones or naval kamikaze drones, there is more pressure than ever for forces to leverage recent technological developments to turn concepts into functional, deployable tools for their armed forces.

In this episode, we look at the concepts behind Directed Energy Weapons, ask what advantages and disadvantages they might have compared to more conventional equivalents, and what how militaries might use them going forward.

Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/PerunAU

Caveats & Comments:
All normal caveats and comments apply.

In particular – I would like to note as always that this material has been created for entertainment purposes and should not be relied upon to inform financial or other similar decisions.

I have also not sought to provide a fulsome explanation of the science behind the operation of HEL and HPM systems. For those interested, I would strongly recommend further reading and I will include some potential sources in the source list below.

Relevant Reading (to added 20/02/2024 once I have access to my research notes and materials again)

Timestamps:

00:00:00 — Intro
00:01:10 — What Am I Talking About?
00:12:27 — The Directed Energy Promise
00:17:42 — Ground Applications
00:25:48 — Naval Applications
00:40:51 — Aerospace Applications
00:47:00 — Countermeasures and limitations
01:02:10 — Development challenges and risks
01:06:43 — Channel Update