Defense Technology International - December 2007 - (Page 35)

MISSILE DEFENSE MARITIME SECURITY ZONE New weapons guard warships from air and sea attack ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES CONCEPT Barak 8 missile, in development for the Israeli navy, will protect ships out to 70 km. JORIS JANSSEN LOK•THE HAGUE ne of the most remarkable events during the Second does away with the need for expensive target-prediction and Lebanon War last year was the attack on Israel’s heav- ﬁre-control algorithms on gun-based systems, or ﬁre-control ily armed INS Hanit, a Sa’ar 5-class missile corvette, directors and seeker technologies on missile-based systems. by two Iranian-supplied C-802 anti-ship missiles, ﬁred by Hez- A shipborne application is ideal for a laser weapon because bollah. One missile hit resulted in four sailors killed and a the power required is readily available, especially in a new generation of combat ships with electric propulsion (DTI capital ship nearly lost. But was the attack really that unusual? On paper, perhaps November/December 2006, p. 14). Since the early 1990s, Raytheon has yes. But in reality, warships—even those been discussing development of a laser bristling with high-tech defensive sysfor integration with close-in weapon tems—have always been vulnerable to systems such as its 20-mm. Phalanx gun anti-ship missiles and, in recent years, or the 30-mm. Goalkeeper developed by terrorist attacks. For example: Signaal (now Thales). In 2000, the guided-missile destroyer Raytheon’s directed-energy program USS Cole was attacked in Yemen by in Tucson, Ariz., is taking steps toward suicide bombers in a small boat. The such a capability. A 20-kw. laser weapblast tore open a 35 X 36-ft. hole, killing on has been tested. Mike Booen, who 17 sailors. heads the e ort, says his team bundled In 1987, two Exocet missiles ﬁred by an together 40 ﬁ ber lasers of 500 watts Iraqi Mirage F-1 ﬁghter hit and almost Raytheon says a laser may each and, without expensive beam-consank the guided missile frigate USS be integrated with its 20-mm. trol devices, detonated 60-mm. mortar Stark in the Persian Gulf, killing 37. Phalanx rapid-ﬁre gun. rounds at 500 meters (1,640 ft.) in an In 1982, an Exocet missile ﬁred from an Argentinian Super Etendard jet sank the Royal Navy de- 80-kt. wind with a 4-in. beam. Plans are to enlarge the weapon’s target set with more and stroyer HMS She eld, killing 20. In an age of high-tech weapons and asymmetric warfare, bigger lasers that operate at longer ranges of 1 km. (0.6 mi.) in which threats appear from over the horizon or in a launch or greater to put more power on targets. Booen has a nine-month schedule for demonstrating the packed with explosives, these incidents underscore the need for warships to destroy multiple threats. The emergence of next step in what he calls the Laser Area Defense System supersonic weapons, such as India’s BrahMos missile (see (LADS), a weapon designed for close-in protection against p. 17) and Russia’s Club series (DTI November, p. 21), inten- mortars, artillery, ﬂoating mines, swarms of small boats, missiles and unmanned aircraft. siﬁes this need. Booen sees LADS as part of a larger but low-cost air-deThe ultimate defense against such threats is a high-energy laser. This intercepts missiles at the speed of light and fense system networked in with the Phalanx gun, Vigilant U.S. NAVY O • • • www.aviationweek.com/dti DECEMBER 2007 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 35 http://www.aviationweek.com/dti

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Defense Technology International - December 2007

Defense Technology International - December 2007 Contents Around the World Science Watch Tech Watch BrahMos: Ramjet Ship Killer r-e-s-p-e-c-t Deja Vu Trump Card Dubai Demos Agile Helos Joint Force Online Charge UGVs Creep, Crawl to Victory Sweet Ride Fast, Lethal Ship Defense Networking Stealth: Why Raptors Can't Talk The Net Cutting Edge First Person In Review Insight

Defense Technology International - December 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.