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Drone Weapons of the Future

Drone Weapons of the Future. Jacob Preston CS 536 October 31, 2013. Agenda. Future Drones Future Weapons. Aurora’s Excalibur Drone. Capable of vertical takeoff and landing Top speed: 400 knots (460 mph) Compatible with a variety of munitions Hellfire, APKWS, Viper Strike

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Drone Weapons of the Future

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  1. Drone Weapons of the Future Jacob Preston CS 536 October 31, 2013

  2. Agenda • Future Drones • Future Weapons

  3. Aurora’s Excalibur Drone • Capable of vertical takeoff and landing • Top speed: 400 knots (460 mph) • Compatible with a variety of munitions • Hellfire, APKWS, Viper Strike • Bridges the gap between manned aircraft that provide air support and current UAVs • No pilot (remote or otherwise) required

  4. Nano Drones • Under development by US Air Force • Very stealthy • From Scott’s previous presentation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z78mgfKprdg

  5. Hybrid Insect Micro Electromechanical Systems (HI-MEMS) • Funded by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) • Cyborg Insects • Remotely controlled • Insect powers circuits • Implanted during metamorphosis • Primary function is surveillance, but . . .

  6. Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) • BAE Systems • Alters normal unguided Hydra 70 rocket into a laser guided one • Plug and play (no modification needed on aircraft already equipped for Hydra 70 rockets) • Semi active laser guidance technology • Distributed Aperture Semi-active Laser Seeker (DASALS) • Uses same designator as Hellfire missile • Intended for soft or lightly armored targets • Compatible with multiple types of warheads

  7. High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS) • Funded by (DARPA) • Proposed 150 kW and ten times smaller and lighter than current lasers of similar power • “High Power” handheld laser pointers are rated at 5 mW (~$40) • Primarily used for defense against surface-to-air threats • Can be an extremely precise offensive weapon • Minimal collateral damage • Size goal: 3 cubic meters, 5 kilograms per kilowatt (150 x 5 = 750 kilograms) • Can be used for long range target designation

  8. Sonic Weapons (high frequency) • In Research since the 1950s • Currently used for crowd control, fending off pirates • Long range acoustic device (LRAD)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krt5hqjy72g • Drone could circle/hover over a large crowd

  9. Infrasonic Weapons (low frequency) • Below human hearing frequency range • 20Hz to >0Hz • Induces vibrations of internal organs • 130dB: Hearing affected • 150dB: Nausea • 166dB: Difficulty breathing • 177dB: Forced artificial respiration • Reference: • Jet engine at 100 feet = 140dB • 12 gauge shotgun = 165dB • Death of hearing tissue = 194dB

  10. Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) – General • Introduces high voltage transients, damaging electronics • Very effective against Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) devices • Common integrated circuit devices • Much of the power grid is now controlled or monitored by MOS devices • Can cause electrical grid problems regardless of causing direct damage to the actual grid • Shielded devices are not necessarily safe • Cabling can become antennas to device

  11. Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse • Also known as High-altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) • Nuclear detonation at high altitudes creates electronic interference • 2010 – smallest unclassified core for nuclear warhead is only 9 pounds • Reminder: Reaper payload = 3800 pounds • Approximate effective altitude of 30km (~98,000 feet) • No strict ceiling to this limit • Boeing X-37B Unmanned Space Craft

  12. Source: “The Early-Time (E1) High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and Its Impact on the U.S. Power Grid” pp. 2-3

  13. Source: “The Early-Time (E1) High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and Its Impact on the U.S. Power Grid” pp. 2-4

  14. Source: “The Early-Time (E1) High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and Its Impact on the U.S. Power Grid” pp. 2-15

  15. Non-nuclear EMP (NNEMP) • Less effective compared to NEMP • Less politically volatile (not a nuke) • Multiple forms • Flux compression generator • Magneto-Hydrodynamic generator • Microwaves

  16. Explosively Pumped Flux Compression Generator (FCG) • First demonstrated at Los Alamos National Labs • 10 – 1000 times more electric current than a lightning strike (30kA to 120kA) • Essentially compresses a magnetic field using an explosive to create a short burst (tens to hundreds of microseconds) of a very large current (MegaAmperes)

  17. Source: “The Electromagnetic Bomb – a Weapon of Electrical Mass Destruction” Section 3.1

  18. Magneto-Hydrodynamic Generator (MHD) • Uses explosives to move a conductor through a magnetic field • Conductor = plasma caused by ionized explosive • Not as far along in development as FCG

  19. High Power Microwaves (HPM) • Wide range of HPM Devices • Vircator tube • High energy electron beam used to create microwave oscillations, generating a large amount of energy • Power level range between 170 kW to 40GW • Dworshak Dam maximum capacity 450 MW

  20. EMP Final Thoughts • Explosively controlled EMPs can be easily put into a full weapons package • NNEMPs can be combined into one device: one generates the power for the other to create the pulse • All you need for an NEMP is a nuke and an aircraft capable of very high altitudes (X-37B)

  21. Other Weapons • Rail Gun • US Navy currently in development • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uV1SbEuzFU • UI Senior Design • Higher range than conventional weapons • Lower projectile cost • Very high velocity • Nuke space pod (Against Outer Space Treaty) • Up to 20 nukes orbiting the Earth • Anything you can put your mind to

  22. Questions?

  23. Sources • http://www.baesystems.com/article/BAES_051867 • http://www.darpa.mil/Our_Work/STO/Programs/High_Energy_Liquid_Laser_Area_Defense_System_(HELLADS).aspx • http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2012/04/17/darpa-hybrid-insect-micro-electromechanical-systems-hi-mems/ • http://www.aurora.aero/development/excalibur.aspx • http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-11/acoustic-weapons-book-excerpt • http://web.ornl.gov/sci/ees/etsd/pes/pubs/ferc_Meta-R-320.pdf • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37 • http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1996/apjemp.htm • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty • http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/loudness.html

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