The U.S. Army’s entry into directed energy weapons resulted in the Army taking a step out of fantasy and putting it in the present reality of the battlefield. The centerpiece of this new epoch is the Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense system, or DE M-SHORAD, simply. With the addition of a 50-kilowatt laser and DE M-SHORAD on a Stryker vehicle, it was indicated that the whole concept of warfare was changing markedly.
This system was designed considering the increasing threats of drones, rockets, artillery, and mortars. The Army weapon that operates at the speed of light complements traditional interceptors but does not replace them. It is both a qualitative leap and a preview of what future wars might be like.
Besides all the characteristics of the DE M-SHORAD system, it comes together quickly even more. The U.S. Army, through its Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office and the industry partners, has been able to deliver a working, combat-ready high-energy laser weapon from just the conception stage within two years. The new system was not merely a step-up of the already existing one, but the addition of a new one to protect brigades and divisions from the most recent threats of aerial and indirect fire.
Part of the process of making the system a reality has been the hard work of the soldiers themselves. They have come up with the tactics and techniques to be able to use the systems in war, as they have transformed the 4th Battalion, 60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment at Fort Sill from the first tactical directed energy unit of the Army, to the one now based on the usage in combat.
First, the training was done in simulators, and then the trainees moved to the actual vehicles, where the crews could get acquainted with the special handling requirements of the laser weapon. Troops came up with an efficient and innovative waywhichat is the use of gaming controllers for operating the system, and the Army successfully adopted the idea.
The live-fire demonstrations have been made on the same level of importance as lab work. In one such exercise, soldiers used DE M-SHORAD to engage more than 50 simulated drones in a way that the defense systems they were working with could have been in combat easily.
The development process has been very interactive with field soldiers and engineers discussing what works and what does not, while making upgrades for the technology and its operations. DE M-SHORAD is a game-changer on the battlefield, where it can run and shoot as long as energy is supplied; thus, the swarming of drones and rocket attacks are considered some of its most efficient targets, as it is capable of striking them at the very moment they come. Each shot is substantially cheaper than those of traditional interceptors, and ARVs carrying ammunition for it are not required to reload heavily or go through complex logistical routes.
Still, the American military thinks about the difficulties that are still there. There are shortcomings of lasers in terms of weather conditions, range, and types of targets. In their recent review of the program, the government concluded that it was not ready for mass production yet.
The result of it was the decision to halt procurement until deployment and design plans could be further worked on. Deploying DE M-SHORAD as a fully integrated part of the Army’s air defense network is not just a question of having the tech but also involves changes in training, doctrine, and organization are all very recent.
The advance may have been, however, already spectacular, even with the difficulties mentioned. The Fort Sill museum, where tst prototype of DE M-SHORAD is now exhibited, stands as a monument to what rapid progress in directed energy technology really is.
And it’s just the beginning. The Army is turning the weapon around, getting factory operators, and preparing the weapon for larger defense positions as the next air defense generation is affected by the lessons gained. Thus, the era of laser weaponry is no longer only a future warfare concept but has, in fact, made its way to the present.