News
The US military wants a fleet of missile-killing laser drones
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology. Subscribe here. The U.S. military is once again pursuing flying directed energy weapons to counter threats to American airspace, according to the Defense Department’s missile defense boss. Speaking to members of Congress during a House Armed Services Subco...[Read More]
The US military wants to showcase battle-ready laser weapons by 2028
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology. Subscribe here. The U.S. military is pushing to demonstrate high-energy laser weapons engineered for fielding at scale in the next two years, according to the U.S. Defense Department’s top science and technology official. Testifying before the Senate Armed...[Read More]
The US military’s next significant challenge: Hiding
Devastating attacks by Iran on U.S. bases across the Middle East in recent months have exposed war strategies that are becoming increasingly outdated, one U.S. Army commanding general acknowledged this week. Gone are the days when America fought from sprawling command posts with overwhelming air superiority. Now faced with adversaries toting long-range fires and drones, the U.S. military is relear...[Read More]
The US Navy brought a ‘one-of-a-kind’ laser weapon back from the dead
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology. Subscribe here. The U.S. Navy spent at least six months resurrecting a high-energy laser weapon that previously graced the bow of a warship for a new military exercise last year, the service recently revealed. The Navy’s Directed Energy Systems Integration...[Read More]
The US Navy decommissioned Middle East minesweepers last year. Here’s what they did.
The U.S. Navy decommissioned half of its Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships last year and began replacing them with littoral combat ships that possess anti-mine capabilities. Naval mine warfare is a major tenet of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy military doctrine, according to a 2017 Office of Naval Intelligence report, and looks to be a factor in the ongoing Iran war. Iran repo...[Read More]
The US Navy decommissioned Middle East minesweepers last year. Here’s what they did.
The U.S. Navy decommissioned half of its Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships last year and began replacing them with littoral combat ships that possess anti-mine capabilities. Naval mine warfare is a major tenet of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy military doctrine, according to a 2017 Office of Naval Intelligence report, and looks to be a factor in the ongoing Iran war. Iran repo...[Read More]
The US Navy has battled operational tempo ordeals for years. The Iran war exposed the flaws.
Vague operational planning and a lack of transparency during U.S. actions in Iran have exacerbated the U.S. Navy’s longstanding logistics, maintenance and manpower issues — and sailors are feeling the effects, congressional leaders, retired military officials and deployed sailors have told Military Times. Following revelations from families about some U.S. service members aboard the USS Abraham Li...[Read More]
The US Navy is eyeing next-gen carrier-based drones. Here’s what they might do.
The U.S. Navy is looking for a family of carrier-based drones that can fulfill a variety of missions, according to a July 14 Request for Information. The sea service “is exploring the industrial base’s capacity to deliver highly capable, autonomous platforms optimized for operations from Ford-class and Nimitz-class Nuclear Aircraft Carriers,” according to the RFI. The response deadline has been se...[Read More]
The US Navy is full speed ahead on building a laser fleet
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology. Subscribe here. Operation Epic Fury may have strengthened the case for directed energy weapons, but the U.S. Navy’s dream of putting “a laser on every ship” may take significantly longer than expected to realize. In a posture statement delivered to the Hou...[Read More]
The US Navy wants you … to make ‘Drone Killer’ ammunition
The Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division last month revealed the service’s new “Drone Killer Cartridge,” or DKC, a small-arms ammunition specifically designed to destroy small quadcopter drones. In the announcement, Brian Hoffman, chief engineer of NSWC Crane’s Man-Portable Weapons, explained that the ammo works much like a shotshell in that it disperses a cluster of projectiles, but it’s d...[Read More]
The US needs drones, not Trump-class battleships, Democrats argue
House Democrats expressed frustration with the U.S. military for seeking funding for a $17 billion battleship instead of investing more in cheaper autonomous weapons systems as warfare continues to change rapidly. During a House Armed Services Committee markup of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, lawmakers said that investing in Trump-class battleships would mean ignoring lessons...[Read More]
The US Protected Ships from Iran in the Strait of Hormuz in the ’80s. Could It Again?
The “Tanker war” grew out of the fierce eight-year war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s.