‘Bring it’: Adm. Aquilino open to greater directed-energy trials

WASHINGTON — The U.S. commander in the Indo-Pacific is interested in more widely experimenting with and deploying directed-energy weapons designed to zap electronics or incinerate incoming threats.

Navy Adm. John Aquilino, who leads the China-focused Indo-Pacific Command , on Aug. 28 said he is “certainly looking for asymmetric advantages” and that industry should “bring it.”

“I’m very encouraged by the high-energy laser capability that’s being experimented with and utilized,” Aquilino said at the NDIA Emerging Technologies for Defense conference, held blocks from the White House in Washington. “There’s a few of them on a couple of our ships, to be able to blind, dazzle and kill.”

The U.S. and other nations have for decades pursued directed-energy weapons, capable of taking out targets at the speed of light. The Pentagon for the past three years has spent an average $1 billion on development; it requested at least $669 million in fiscal 2023 for unclassified research, testing and evaluation and at least $345 million for unclassified procurement, according to the Congressional Research Service.

The weapons come mainly in two forms: high-energy laser and high-power microwave. The former focuses a beam or beams of energy to blind, cut or inflict heat damage on a target. The latter unleashes waves of energy that fry or overwhelm electronic components.

Navy Adm. John Aquilino, left, looks at videos of Chinese structures aboard a U.S. P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane on March 20, 2022. (Aaron Favila/AP)

The Navy in the past adopted Lockheed Martin’s High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance , or HELIOS, and the in-house Optical Dazzling Interdictor Navy, or ODIN, to tackle drones, small boats and intelligence-gathering systems. Both have been installed aboard destroyers.

Other services are tinkering with directed energy, as well. The Army in January tapped Epirus for prototypes of its high-power microwave kit known as Leonidas. The deal was worth $66 million. It also used Lockheed’s Mobile Radio Frequency-Integrated UAS Suppressor, or MORFIUS, to take out drones in a June demonstration.

“The key is about acceleration,” Aquilino said Monday. “If that capability exists, and we can deliver in 18 to 24 months, I’m ready to plug it in. I’m ready to experiment with it tomorrow. I’ve got the largest test range on the globe.”

Aquilino’s remit includes China and North Korea, as well as allies Australia, Japan and South Korea. The Indo-Pacific is home to more than half the world’s population, some of its biggest ports and a handful of its largest militaries.

Colin Demarest was a reporter at C4ISRNET, where he covered military networks, cyber and IT. Colin had previously covered the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration — namely Cold War cleanup and nuclear weapons development — for a daily newspaper in South Carolina. Colin is also an award-winning photographer.

华盛顿——美国印太地区司令对更广泛地试验和部署定向能武器很感兴趣，这种武器旨在摧毁电子设备或焚毁来袭威胁。

负责对华印太司令部的海军上将约翰·阿奎利诺于 8 月 28 日表示，他“当然在寻求不对称优势”，并表示工业界应该“拿出真本事”。

阿奎利诺在华盛顿白宫附近举行的国防工业协会新兴技术会议上表示：“我对正在试验和应用的高能激光技术感到非常鼓舞。我们的一些舰艇上已经配备了这种技术，能够致盲、眩晕甚至杀伤敌人。”

美国和其他国家几十年来一直在研发定向能武器，这种武器能够以光速摧毁目标。据国会研究服务处的数据，五角大楼过去三年平均每年花费10亿美元用于定向能武器的研发；在2023财年，五角大楼申请了至少6.69亿美元用于非机密研究、测试和评估，以及至少3.45亿美元用于非机密采购。

这些武器主要有两种形式：高能激光和高功率微波。前者聚焦一束或多束能量，使目标失明、切割或遭受热损伤。后者释放能量波，烧毁或摧毁电子元件。

2022年3月20日，美国海军上将约翰·阿奎利诺（左）在一架美国P-8A“海神”侦察机上观看中国建筑的视频。（Aaron Favila/AP）

美国海军过去曾采用洛克希德·马丁公司的高能激光集成光学眩目和监视系统（HELIOS）以及自主研发的光学眩目拦截系统（ODIN）来应对无人机、小型船只和情报收集系统。这两款系统均已安装在驱逐舰上。

其他军种也在尝试定向能技术。今年1月，美国陆军向Epirus公司订购了名为Leonidas的高功率微波套件原型机，交易金额达6600万美元。此外，陆军还在6月份的一次演示中，使用了洛克希德·马丁公司的移动射频集成无人机抑制器（MORFIUS）来击落无人机。

阿奎利诺周一表示：“关键在于加速。如果这项能力存在，并且我们能在18到24个月内交付，我随时准备投入使用。我明天就可以开始试验。我拥有全球最大的测试场地。”

阿奎利诺的职责范围包括中国和朝鲜，以及盟友澳大利亚、日本和韩国。印太地区拥有世界一半以上的人口、一些最大的港口和少数几个规模最大的军队。

科林·德马雷斯特曾是C4ISRNET的记者，负责报道军事网络、网络安全和信息技术方面的新闻。此前，他曾为南卡罗来纳州的一家日报报道美国能源部及其下属的国家核安全管理局，主要关注冷战后的清理工作和核武器研发。科林还是一位屡获殊荣的摄影师。