DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY AREA PLAN
CHAPTER X -- WEAPONS
3.9 High-Power Microwave
3.9.1 Warfighter Needs
DoD requires improved capabilities in countering artillery fire, ship defense against cruise missiles, aircraft self-protection, suppression of enemy integrated air defense systems, space control, security, counterproliferation, and disruption or destruction of command and control assets. All of these requirements can be addressed by HPM weapon systems that upset or damage the electronics within the target. HPM weapons offer military commanders the option of:
- Speed-of-light, all-weather attack of enemy electronic systems.
- Area coverage of multiple targets with minimal prior information on threat characteristics.
- Surgical strike (damage, disrupt, degrade) at selected levels of combat.
- Minimum collateral damage in politically sensitive environments.
- Simplified pointing and tracking.
- Deep magazines and low operating costs.
Coordinated Army, Navy, Air Force, and DSWA HPM transition plans are focused on demonstrations of mission-oriented concepts: aircraft self-protection, antiship missile defense, and countermunitions (EW electronic attack--degrade/neutralize enemy defenses); and lethal suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) and C2W/IW (precision force, MOUT, and IW). Potential warfighter payoffs include generic protection against a wide variety of missile/munition threats (IR, EO, RF, laser-guided), improved effectiveness and lower attrition rates of friendly systems, and negation (permanent damage, long-term disruption, and temporary degradation) of enemy command, control, and general information systems. Finally, electronic protection techniques developed under the HPM program are being transitioned to users in order to harden U.S. systems against hostile HPM weapons or inadvertent EMI/EMC. Joint development and test projects demonstrate the maximization of investments to meet individual service/agency mission requirements.
3.9.2 Overview
3.9.2.1 Goals and Timeframes. Technology development and demonstration efforts are oriented to establish a mature and comprehensive technology base to support microwave weapon systems development decisions. In many cases, this requires an integrated demonstration of microwave source, pulsed power, and antenna subsystems. Major goals and associated timeframes are shown in
Table X-10.
Table X-10. High-Power Microwave Subarea Goals and Timeframes
| Application/Mission | Short Term
(1-2 Years) | Mid Term
(3-5 Years) | Long Term
(6+ Years) |
|---|
| HPM system for point defense |
Demo compact, high-power UWB source.
Demo high-average-power narrowband source. |
Live fire demo. | Ship self-defense demo, countermunition demo. |
| HPM system for C2W/IW |
Effects assessments. |
Field demo. |
Airborne demo. |
| HPM system for SEAD |
Demo compact, high-power narrowband source. |
Explosively driven single-pulse device demo. |
Multiple-pulse device demo. |
| HPM system for space control |
Effects assessments. |
Modeling and simulation for concept development. |
Field demo. |
3.9.2.2 Major Technical Challenges. The major technical challenges for HPM weapons include developing and demonstrating:
- Compact, high-peak-power or high-average-power HPM sources.
- Compact, high-gain, ultra wideband (UWB) antennas.
- Compact, efficient, high-power, pulse power drivers.
- Compact, efficient prime power sources.
- Predictive models for HPM effects and lethality.
- Low-impact hardening of systems against hostile and self-induced EMI.
- Affordable system integration meeting military platform requirements.
3.9.2.3 Related Federal and Private Sector Efforts. DoD organizations have primary responsibility for the development and applications of HPM technology. However, both DOE and private sector efforts complement military HPM programs. Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, and Sandia National Laboratories have HPM source development and effects programs that directly support service efforts. The private sector has evolved both independent and cooperative RF effects programs. CRDAs have been initiated to develop and transition improved techniques for measuring electromagnetic interference. The electronics industry as a whole is working closely with the services to ensure compliance with new international standards for EM protection.
3.9.3 S&T Investment Strategy
In executing the DoD HPM program, focus is maintained on specific technology demonstrations in order that the technology effort at the component level can also be focused. DoD investments among the various technology demonstration and technology development efforts are allocated in accordance with their potential payoff to warfighting needs and their relative contribution to achieving the HPM goals.
3.9.3.1 Technology Demonstrations. HPM weapons encompass a number of technology demonstrations in the field. Major demonstrations support two DTOs:
- Aircraft self-protection demonstration
(WE.19.08)
- Command and control warfare/information warfare demonstration
(WE.22.09)
- Suppression of enemy air defenses demonstration
(WE.22.09)
3.9.3.2 Technology Development. Coordinated Army, Navy, Air Force, and DSWA HPM technology developments are subdivided into a number of major constituent areas:
- Compact, high-power UWB sources: Includes fourfold increase in UWB output power. Technical barriers include voltage standoff of solid-state switches and fabrication of these switches. Weight should be ~500 lb and volume ~1.5 ft3 (exclusive of antenna and pulse power).
- Compact, high-power, narrowband HPM sources: Includes sixfold increase in narrowband pulse length and narrowband tunability up to an octave. Technical barriers include cathode breakdown and production of plasma within the device as well as efficient extraction of microwave energy. Weight should be ~500 lb and volume ~1.5 ft3 (exclusive of antenna and pulse power).
- Compact, high-power, high-gain UWB antennas: Focuses on lightweight antennas able to radiate high peak and average power with very low losses. Requires reduction to 18-inch antenna diameter with approximately 15-20 dB of antenna gain.
- Compact, efficient, high-power pulse power drivers: Develops compact (~500 lb in less than 10 ft3), high peak power (>50 GW) packages.
- Explosively driven pulsed power sources: Focuses on explosively driven magnetic flux compressors for current and power amplification. Technical barriers include reducing power losses between the exploding armature and helical stator, coupling and timing requirements of multiple-staged generators, and weight and size reduction of fast opening and closing switches.
- HPM effects and lethality: Includes RF testing of a wide range of air, sea, land, and space military assets; RF effects database development; reliable prediction of RF effects to permit extrapolation to other systems; development of innovative countermeasure techniques; and incorporation of HPM into accepted military weapon engagement models.
- HPM bioeffects: Assesses biological effects necessary to establish safety thresholds for personnel protection.
- Systems integration meeting military platform requirements: Encompasses integrating pulse power drivers, HPM sources, and output antennas into military platforms such as fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, naval combatants, land vehicles, aircraft pods, UAVs, and munitions.
- Low-impact hardening of systems against hostile and self-induced EMI: Includes transitioning EM hardening to users in response to existing EMI/EMC problems and projected threats; identifying susceptibilities in U.S. air, land, sea, and space militarily critical systems; and developing hardening countermeasures that minimally impact system performance, cost, or maintainability.
- Evaluation of additional applications: Based on effects assessments and technology development efforts, identifies additional militarily useful applications. Applications under consideration include ASMD, counterproliferation, countermunition, and space control. These evaluations will lead, where appropriate, to additional technology
demonstrations.
3.9.3.3 Basic Research. Basic research efforts for high-power microwaves emphasize the fundamental understanding of the limitations of microwave technology and its application and the investigation of promising new approaches and concepts. Efforts are conducted in RF sources, antennas, and pulsed-power systems and in RF effects phenomenology.
