Monday Jan 6^th 2025

EINPresswire with news provided by Allied Analytics LLP an article titled “USD 22.2 Billion Directed Energy Weapons Market Value Cross by 2032 | Top Players – Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems”.

In the article, the directed energy weapons market was valued at $4.9 billion in 2022. This market is estimated to reach $22.2 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 16.4% from 2023 to 2032.

The article mentions “three distinct categories of high-energy lasers: chemical lasers, solid-state lasers, and free electron lasers (FELs)”. With these three types of laser a common need for an unobstructed visibility from beam director to the target is critical for a successful engagement. The way these systems achieves a kill is by “The HEL system impart[ing] thermal energy onto the target’s surface over a substantial period”. Depending on the power of the laser and the focus of the beam is the main factor determining the length of time required to burn through a target’s material.

The article mentions a broad region called “LAMEA” which stands for Latin America, Middle East, and Africa. There is a increased demand to counter dangerous threats and modernized armed forces globally. The article points out the potential for lasers to neutralize asymmetric airborne threats such as rockets, mortars, and suicide drones.

There has been a recent “rise in the trend of defense firms developing and showcasing innovative solutions that address the evolving security challenges. For instance, in February 2023, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies showcased their high-energy laser (HEL) technology as prominent offerings and the international arms expo IDEX 2023held in Abu Dhabi.” This illustrates a clear goal of companies to branch out and try to attract potential foreign partners and buyers. As other countries jump into the directed energy market, large growth is expected to follow.

At the conclusion of the article describing this market report, major players such as: Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, Rheinmetall AG, Thales Group, Leonardo S.p.A, MBDA, Boeing, RTX, QinetiQ, and Lockheed Martin Corporation are identified as key players in the global directed energy space.

Monday Jan 6^th 2025

This week, Zaib un Nisa released an article in Modern Diplomacy titled “Star Wars Rality: The Rise of Space-Based Weapons Systems”

This article describes how the reliance on the space domain for a multitude of military and non-military purposes. The main advantage of space control as described in the article is identified as communications enabling.

The article offers a different check on some narratives with the statement:

“Although these developments provide indisputable strategic benefits, they also intensify the risks associated with escalation. The use of such systems could potentially establish conditions that can lead to a first-strike situation: one party feeling that it is threatened will launch an attack first, thus enmity and insecurity increase, and the world becomes more unstable.”

This article provides an interesting take that is less bullish on weapons development geared towards achieving and maintaining space domain dominance.

Thursday JaN 9^th 2025

1945 published an article by Caleb Larson this week covering the “The U.S. Navy’s Ford-Class Aircraft Carrier ‘Ride Or Die’ Moment”

The article opens with a summary stating that:

“The U.S. Navy’s Ford-class aircraft carriers, the largest and most advanced ships ever built for the U.S. Navy, offer unparalleled power projection but face growing criticisms.”

With some of the trends force postures are taking, there is a key consideration that must have the Navy considering between maintaining the status quo of force projection via large capital carrier ships or shifting toward more distributed or even unmanned assets.

These Ford-class ships are slated to replace the aging Nimitz-class ships that are approaching their end-of-life cycle. There are a total of ten Ford-class ships planned in order to make the full replacement complete.

Article Caption: ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 27, 2019) USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) steams in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time since July 2018. Ford is conducting sea trials following its 15 month post-shakedown availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Connor Loessin)

1945 Video on Aircraft Carriers

Thursday Jan 9^th 2025

Photonics Online published an article by John Oncea this week with the headline  “The Military, Photonics, And … Video Game Controllers?”

The article opens with the assertion that photonics provide many key advantages like precision, speed, and resilience to electromagnetic interference. 

Before adding additional context on this article, it might be helpful to provide a definition of photonics:

The article mentions that gaming systems are becoming increasingly reliant on photonics in the push to make gaming experiences more immersive.

The article describes 9 ways the military uses photonics: Free-Space Optical Communications (FSO), LiDAR, Directed Energy Weapons, Targeting and Guidance, Autonomous Systems, Countermeasures, Advanced Displays, Research and Development, Surveillance and Reconnaissance.

One of the most interesting ways game controllers have meandered their way into the military is with the move from using legacy (and bulky) Virginia class submarine periscope joysticks which also come in at a high cost of $38,000 to changing the interface to work with a $30 Xbox controller.

Even with a plethora of advantages to using gaming controllers to replace other specifically designed control units for the military, there are some disadvantages such as: “concerns with controller durability, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, along with the potential psychological and ethical implications of using gaming interfaces for military operations.”