U.S. Army eyes drone-soaked Middle East to refine energy weapons
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Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo, center, visits soldiers during the Dragoon Ready 23 exercise. Photo: Christian Carrillo/DVIDS
U.S. Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo envisions a future battlefield swarming with sensors and electronics, swollen with digital chatter and interference, and starving for overhead defenses.
Why it matters: The Army is putting a premium on drone and counter-drone equipment in light of the Russia-Ukraine war and is scoping out sci-fi-style energy weapons to combat aerial threats.
Why he matters: Camarillo has for years served as the service's No. 2 civilian, working as its chief operating officer and keeping abreast of its weapon developments.
- He sat down with Axios for a 40-minute interview at the Pentagon.
The intrigue: A directed-energy proving ground is emerging in the greater Middle East, where laser and microwave weapons face real-world, punishing conditions.
- The Army this year dispatched to Iraq several laser weapons mounted on Stryker combat vehicles.
- It plans to send Epirus-made high-power microwave prototypes to the region in the coming months.
- Army Gen. Michael Kurilla, the U.S. Central Command boss, told Congress he would "love" to have additional directed-energy weapons in the area, especially as the Navy snipes Houthi drones launched from Yemen.
What they're saying: "We're going to learn quite a bit about the effectiveness and the maturity of these two directed-energy technologies against the range of unmanned aerial vehicle threats that exist in that area of responsibility," Camarillo said.
- Also under consideration: lasers mounted to Joint Light Tactical and Infantry Squad vehicles, and launched effects (drones catapulted from larger aircraft and vehicles) strapped with electronic-sizzling payloads.
- "I expect the maturity of those laser and high-power microwave systems to continue to evolve, to give us more solutions over time," he said.
How it works: High-energy lasers and high-power microwaves promise to zap incoming ordnance for pennies on the dollar.
- Lasers fire at the speed of light and can burn through their targets. Microwaves can fry electronics en masse.
- They boast unlimited magazines, so to speak, but efficacy can be stunted by atmospheric conditions and extreme distance. They also require power, which can be disrupted.
- "This is another example where, I think, we need to be thinking about continuously innovating, continuously upgrading technology, and our adoption of it, so that we can always stay ahead of the threat," Camarillo said.
What we're watching: Epirus chief executive Andy Lowery is bullish that his company's rig will perform well overseas.
- "We're going to put out this very elegant microwave energy field, and the bad guys are just going to be scratching their heads. 'What the hell is going on?'"
Be smart: Widespread adoption of directed-energy has yet to happen, despite years of experimentation and roughly $1 billion in yearly Pentagon spending.
