The U.S. Pentagon conducted its first high-level demonstration of…
The U.S. Pentagon conducted its first high-level demonstration of directed energy weapons, including laser and microwave systems, in New Mexico, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Pentagon's technical director Emil Michael in attendance. The test involved a 20-kW mobile system from AeroVironment, which had previously downed drones from an aircraft carrier.
Consensus
- The U.S. Pentagon conducted a high-level demonstration of laser and microwave weapons in New Mexico.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Pentagon technical director Emil Michael attended the demonstration.
- A 20-kW mobile directed energy system from AeroVironment (LOCUST) was tested.
- The system has previously been used to down drones from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush.
- The U.S. budget for 2027 includes over $2 billion for research and development in directed energy weapons.
- Directed energy weapons are considered a relatively low-cost solution for countering drones.
Points of divergence
- This was the first known instance in which a sitting U.S. Secretary of Defense personally observed live-fire testing of directed energy weapons. — vedomosti
- On June 23, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that American auto companies would begin producing weapons, with General Motors expressing interest and planning to convert factories to new technologies. — vedomosti
- On June 18, Bloomberg reported that Trump wanted to propose licensing U.S. defense companies to produce weapons in Europe and Ukraine. — vedomosti
- The Russian LazerBuzz (project 'Scepter') system successfully shot down a drone at a distance of 1.5 kilometers using a laser. — m24
- The LazerBuzz system was tested against FPV drones and was able to down a plane-type UAV during experiments. — m24
Coverage (2 sources)
- Pentagon watches first demonstration of laser and microwave weapons — Ведомости
- Pentagon first tested laser and microwave weapons at the highest level — Москва 24
Key entities
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